Quality Assurance Program

TEQ Analytical Laboratories utilizes a rigorous internal Quality Assurance and Quality Control Program. The company has an independent quality assurance/quality control staff dedicated to ensuring the accuracy of data, reliability of results, and the implementation of quality standards throughout the laboratory. All data at TEQ is reviewed and approved by a secondary reviewer before it is released to the client. TEQ is also seeking International Standards Organization 17025 or as its commonly referred to ISO 17025 Accreditation through the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) ISO 17025. This accreditation is considered the pinnacale in third party laboratory accreditation regardless of industry.

The rigorous quality accreditation requires proficiency program participation, regular quality control samples with every analytical batch, documented operating procedures, supply tracking and monitoring, and a number of other requirements. ISO is more than just a paper documentation system, this quality initiative…For more information check out www.a2la.org

1. Instrument Operating procedures covering routine and non routine maintenance and ensure that equipment is calibrated prior to each run and after every 10-20 samples and again at the end of the analytical batch.
2. Strict documented troubleshooting process called Corrective Action and Preventative Actions (CAPA) that dictate process and ensure proper investigation when errors, problems, or other non-conformities arise in the laboratory.
3. A document system that contains written documentation for all test procedures, technical procedures, instrument operating procedures, and department policies. This tells us exactly how to do everything all of the time. This way there is reproducibility, consistency and reliability. Every employee is strictly trained to our procedures and methods. Standard Operating Procedures ensure that all of TEQ employees follow the same process for every procedure. We even have procedures on how to write procedures.
4. Quality Control Samples included in each analytical batch as a requirement of TEQ standard operating procedures.
   • Proof that we have properly extracted the analyte or microbe of interest.
   • Proof that we can detect and measure that analyte or microbe appropriately.
   • Proof that a different organism/analyte is not conflicting with our analysis.
   • Verification that the instrument is operating and running as it is supposed.
   • Verification that there is no carry over from other analyses that would create a false positive on your sample.
5. When possible the use methods or modifications of published methods by AOAC, AOCS, USP or other industry accepted journals/compendiums.
6. Reference materials and standards are purchased from qualified reputable suppliers.
   • ISO 17025 requires that all of our vendors are required to be vetted and audited. We ensure all vendors comply with a strict set of quality requirements in order to qualify as our vendor. We need to know that the products adhere to a particularly level of quality and in some cases sterility. TEQ needs to know that the standards purchased to compare analytical methods against are consistent and reliable. Therefore all of our vendors must go through a stringent Vendor approval process which involves an audit and Vendor Quality Survey. Also all of our reference materials must have reliable certificates of analysis and Safety Data Sheets.
7. Trained laboratory personnel perform analysis and cross-trained staff assists when necessary.
   • All of our laboratory staff have a strict training program that requires the employee to read and understand the operating procedure, observe the procedure in practice, practice the procedure under supervision, and then demonstrate proficiency before being allowed to conduct that procedure on their own.
8. Instrument Operating Procedures contain sections covering both routine and non-routine maintenance. All equipment is calibrated prior to every run, after a set number of samples  (less than 20), and at the end of the run.
   • Equipment calibration is essential to ensure the instrumentation is functioning properly. Samples can leave excess residue on detection sites, create contamination in analytical columns, a number of different things that over time cause the reliability and accuracy of the instrument to decrease. Thus by analyzing QC samples intermittently throughout analytical runs we can prove the instrument is still performing to specifications.
9. An Out-of-Specification procedure in the event that results do not meet specifications (claims) provided by the client.
   • When something out of the ordinary occurs, it must be documented, tracked, and investigated to measure its effects on the sample results, its effect on instrument, and corrected to ensure that, if possible, it wont happen again. Certain Out-of-Specification events can occur which will have little or no impact on sample results, but the lab and the client must know this to ensure reliable analysis and ensure trust with your laboratory partner.

TEQ analytical laboratories tracks a lot of data to ensure the success of your analysis. In order to do this we monitor the instrument, the extraction recovery, the quality parameters, and the frequency of quality check samples.

1. Proof that we have properly extracted the analyte or microbe of interest.
2. Proof that we can detect and measure that analyte or microbe appropriately.
3. Proof that a different organism/analyte is not conflicting with our analysis.
4. Verification that the instrument is operating and running as it is supposed.
5. Verification that there is no carry over from other analyses that would create a false positive on your sample.
6. Five point calibration curve

Method Validation protocol is based on AOAC and FDA validation protocols. The purpose of a validation study is to prove or “validate” an analytical or microbiological method. The rules behind a validation protocol are intended to prove analyte recovery, robustness, instrument and method sensitivity, limit of detection and or quantification, matrix interference. Therefore when conducting a validation study, ensure that the lab you have selected has done a diverse and robust validation protocol. Simply using a single sample does not provide enough statistical evidence to prove a method is reliable. In some cases where known methods have been applied to existing and common sample matrices, laboratories can prove their method proficiency by only performing a method Verification. However, due to the “newness” of Cannabis, lack of scientific background of the plant, and the propriety of our method; TEQ Analytical Laboratories conducted full validation on all methods and calls on our scientific peers to do the same.