SC Labs Launches PhytoFacts, a Data Visualization Platform Made By Napro Research

By integrating SC Labs’ proprietary testing protocol with intuitive reports that complement a Certificate of Analysis (COA), these chemometric profiles give a more complete and visual description of cannabis strains.

FREMONT, CA: SC Laboratories (SC Labs), a firm offering comprehensive solutions for cannabis and hemp testing, has licensed PhytoFacts, a proprietary data visualization platform developed by Napro Research. Clients who have their cannabis tested at the lab will also have access to this ground-breaking reporting format and algorithm, including a visual profile of each strain’s chemical composition. The business needs to move the debate away from Indica and Sativa and the THC potency race toward chemometric strain characterizations.

“The problem is that there is little standardization when it comes to defining and determining terpenes,” according to Josh Wurzer, Co-founder, and President, SC Labs. “Many of the largest flower and concentrate brands are promoting terpene content in a less than ideal manner. Cultivators, processors, retailers, and consumers could benefit from greater standardization when evaluating product quality and distinguishing label claims.”

By integrating SC Labs’ proprietary testing protocol with intuitive reports that complement a Certificate of Analysis(COA), these chemometric profiles give a more complete and visual description of cannabis strains. End consumers will be able to see the plant’s chemical profile, the proportion of terpenoids to cannabinoids, organoleptic properties, and possible entourage results, as noted by Mark A. Lewis and Ethan B. Russo in their publication “Pharmacological Foundations of Cannabis Chemovars,” which advanced the science of terpenes.

“Indica and Sativa are outdated and now obsolete terms when attempting to describe the effect of cannabis strains.

They are, instead, morphological terms that primarily describe plants’ growth trait,” adds to Alec Dixon, Co-founder and Director of Client Relations, SC Labs. “The time has come that we as a community take a more educated and sophisticated approach towards understanding the range of what cannabis has to offer through establishing more appropriate markers for quality and predicting effects through chemical composition. The chemotype, or chemical makeup of cannabinoids and terpenes, are the bioactive compounds that create the unique entourage effects contained within the plant, and terpene content preserved is one of the greatest markers to substantiate quality from how a plant was grown. The quality of cannabis should be evaluated more holistically with THC being used as one of many markers alongside total terpene content, major and minor cannabinoid ratios, and relative cannabinoid to terpene ratios.”

“Nearly a decade of research and development were invested into creating this easy-to-read reporting tool that can inform decision making at all levels of the cannabis ecosystem,” said Dr. Lewis, President, Napro Research. “Science, production, and biotech-focused communities have been employing the PhytoFacts to drive innovation for years, and we are thrilled that SC Labs will now be expanding the use of this tool to the community of consumers and beyond,” he added.

“Creating actionable data has been a primary focus for SC Labs since our founding,” said Jeff Gray, co-founder, and CEO, SC Labs. “This new report format is designed to be intuitive and helps budtenders and consumers identify the right strain for their desired effect. Perhaps even more important, SC Labs’ clients focused on breeding and processing can selectively modulate the terpene ratios of their strains in order to maximize desired benefits. PhytoFacts has the potential to be utilized in a similar fashion to nutrition labels on food products.”