Improve Sustainability with Preventative Environmental Monitoring (PEM)
Co-Author: Melissa May Director of Assay Research & Manufacturing, Sr. Scientist at PathogenDx
Whether you are a local grow or a large-scale cultivator understanding the environment around you can save you money, time, and significantly reduce waste and improve the overall sustainability of your company. Crop failure due to microbial contamination can have devastating consequences on your bottom line. Currently, the vast majority of cannabis cultivators and processors only screen their final products and do not follow their products from cradle to grave. In these situations, the cultivator and processor only identify contaminated crops once they are in a finished form leading to tremendous loss in revenue. Developing a HACCP program that incorporates Preventative Environmental Monitoring (PEMs) allows cultivators and processors to identify contamination early and often allowing time to remediate and remain a sustainable and profitable business. PathogenDx has developed a series of diagnostic assays that allow the cultivator to track a product from cradle to grave first using the EnviroX Assay for environmental screening followed by DetectX and QuantX Assays per your state’s regulation.
PathogenDx EnviroX Assay is utilized by multiple facilities in the food, agricultural and cannabis space as part of a robust HACCP program. The EnviroX assay can identify up to 50 species, both bacterial and fungal, that may contribute to the economic and environmental impact of a lost crop. In a similar manner to the HACCP program currently implemented in the food industry the zonal swabbing process evaluates growing and processing equipment that is in direct contact with the products (Zone 1) as well as adjacent Zones 2, 3, and 4 in order of distance removed from the product. Using EnviroX you can collect samples from the air, water, vents, and even the crop itself to catch issues in real time before they cause failure downstream ultimately leading to crop loss.
PathogenDx created a program called PEM (Preventative Environmental Monitoring) where a person on site takes a swab of any area they are concerned may have contamination and mails that swab to a testing facility where the EnviroX platform is used to quickly identify any potential damaging microorganisms. A grower then uses that knowledge and can immediately take action. We tested the PEM program and published those findings in Cannabis Science and Technology. The study highlights the need for environmental monitoring and the advantages of our technology over traditional plate culture method. Eleven different rooms of a facility including areas where plants were grown, processed, and packaged were swabbed and tested. We observed both pathogenic organisms such as Aspergillus spp. and non-pathogenic organisms in the pathway from plant grow areas to manufacturing and packaging. The study emphasizes the need to screen in all areas to monitor where and identify what contamination is present. Many of these organisms carry the potential risk to human and crop yield.
The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) released a technical report “Environmental sustainability in the cannabis industry impacts, best management practices, and policy considerations” that offers several practices that can be used to increase sustainability. One feature was the use of recycled water to reduce overall water usage. We know fungal pathogens can be spread in recycled water, but by monitoring the water after employing these practices, growers can ensure the recycling and subsequent cleaning measures are being performed correctly and removing the pathogens that can affect future crops. Having the capability to specifically identify the organism and where its located gives us the ability to target not only the source of the contamination such as a water tank or vent, but a targeted strategy for eliminating the pathogen quickly.
In the unfortunate event of a lost crop, it becomes even more important to prevent any future recurrence of contamination. With environmental screening a quick swab taken on a routine basis can reduce the risk of undetected microbial contamination. Testing from the start of the facility through the final product provides feedback which gives the grower the ability to take action quickly and help them find the practices that work best for their business and community. We can continue to improve with the knowledge of what is in our water or on our work bench. With improvement in the daily operations and preventative environmental monitoring we can maintain an efficient and sustainable crop by reducing the chance of crop failure from microbial contamination.
Resources:
(1) NCIA:
Environmental sustainability in the cannabis industry impacts, best management practices, and policy considerations.
(2) Environmental Screening of a Cannabis Production and Processing Facility: A Comparison of an Environmental DNA Microarray and Traditional Microbiological Plating Methods: Chelsea Adamson, Benjamin A. Katchman
Cannabis Science and Technology, November/December 2019, Volume 2, Issue 6
(3) Prevent High-Value Cannabis Crop loss with Innovative Environmental Monitoring Tool Authors: Carl T. Yamashiro Ph.D., Yasmine E. Baca, MS, MB(ASCP)CM Date: June 18, 2019
