Author
bmcbride

Published
11th March 2019

With cannabis now legal, either for medicinal or recreational use, in a number of countries around the world, the scientific community is increasingly focussing on its quality control and ensuring it is safe for use.

What are the most common forms of Cannabis testing?

 

There isn't just one form of testing which can be carried out to determine the 'quality' of cannabis to indicate if it is safe for human use. Everything from pesticides to heavy metals should be tested for.

Potency Testing

In potency testing cannabinoids are isolated and their strength and efficacy is evaluated. Over 100 different cannabinoids have been isolated from cannabis and their effects vary.

Chromatography (gas and liquid) is one of the most common methods used in potency testing. Some analytical instruments which can be used for cannabis potency testing include:

Instrument which can be used for Potency Testing Peak Scientific recommended gas solution
Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC  Precision Series
Agilent 5977B GC/MSD  Precision Series
Agilent 1290 Infinity II LC  Solaris 10
Agilent 1290 Infinity II 2D-LC Solution  Solaris 10
Agilent 1260 Infinity II SFC System Solaris 10
Ellutia 200 Series GC Precision Hydrogen Trace for carrier gas 
Thermo Fisher Q Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap LC-MS Mass Spectrometer Solaris XE 35, Genius XE 35, Genius 1022
Thermo Fisher TSQ Altis and TSQ Quantis Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer LC-MS/MS Systems  Solaris XE 35Genius XE 35
Thermo Fisher TRACE 1310 Gas Chromatograph Precision Series 
Thermo Fisher ISQ 7000 Single Quadrupole GC-MS System Precision Hydrogen Trace for carrier gas 
Thermo Fisher Q Exactive GC Orbitrap GC-MS/MS Precision Nitrogen Trace and Precision Hydrogen Trace for carrier gas 
Thermo Fisher Exactive GC Orbitrap GC-MS Systems Precision Hydrogen Trace for carrier gas 
SCIEX QET 4500 LC-MS/MS System Genius 1024

 

If you require carrier gas or detector gas for cannabis potency testing, a gas generator from the Peak Scientific Precision series could be the ideal gas solution. To find out which gas generator we would recommend for your instrument and requirements, even if it is not listed above, please contact us.

Precision group shot

The Precision Series of hydrogen, nitrogen and zero air generators for Gas Chromatography


 

Terpene testing

Terpenes are the volatile unsaturated hydrocarbons which are responsible for the odor of a cannabis sample. Every different strain of cannabis has it's own unique terpene composition.

Gas chromatography and liquid chromatography are also commonly used for terpene testing. Some of the instruments which can be used for terpene testing include:

 

Instrument which can be used for Terpene testing Peak Scientific recommended gas solution
Shimadzu GCMS-TQ8050 Triple Quadrupole Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer  Precision Series
Shimadzu GCMS-QP2010SE Single Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer Precision Hydrogen Trace
Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC Precision Series
Agilent 7890 Series GC Precision Series
Agilent 1260 Infinity II Diode Array Detector  Solaris XE 35
Ellutia 200 Series GC Precision Hydrogen Trace for carrier gas 
SCIEX Triple Quad™ or QTRAP® 6500+ system  Genius 1024, Infinity 1031

 

In addition to Peak Scientiifc's Precision series of gas geneartors for gas chromatography, the Solaris XE 35 nitrogen generator could also be used for terpene testing with LC-MS instruments. To discover Peak's full range of gas generators for LC-MS please click here.

Solaris XE 35

Solaris XE 35 nitrogen generator


 

Pesticide Screening

Pesticide regulations for cannabis cultivation vary depending on the country or state where the cannabis is being grown.This means that pesticide screening is not only necessary for health and safety reasons, it is also often a legal requirement.

Again, Chromatography (either liquid or gas) is the main analytical method used for pesticide screening. Some of the instruments which can be used for pesticide screening include:

Instrument which can be used for Pesticide Screening Peak Scientific recommended gas solution
Shimadzu LCMS-8050 triple quadruple mass spectrometer * Infinity 1051, Genius 1051*, Genius 3051 
SCIEX ExionLC™ AC HPLC System with the SCIEX QET 4500 LC-MS/MS System Genius 1024, Genius AB-3G, Infinity 1031 
Agilent 7000 Series Triple Quadrupole GC/MS  Precision Series
Agilent 6400 Series Triple Quadrupole LC/MS  Solaris XE 35, Genius XE 35
Agilent 6500 Series Accurate-Mass Quadrupole Q-TOF LC/MS  Solaris XE 35, Infinity XE 5010, Genius XE 35, Genius XE 70
Agilent GC/MS/MS Pesticides Analyzer Precision Series
Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC system Precision Series
Agilent 7890B GC system Precision Series
Agilent Ultivo triple quadrupole LC/MS Genius NM32LAGenius XE 35
Agilent 7010B Series triple quadrupole GC/MS system Precision Nitrogen Trace for Collision Gas, Precision Hydrogen Trace
Waters Xevo TQ-S Micro  Solaris XE 35, Genius SQ 24
Waters Xevo TQ-GC  Solaris XE 35Genius SQ 24

* The Genius 1051 is the recommended Peak solution for both the 8045, 8050 and 8060, and will provide sufficient gas flow when the 8045/8050/8060 is operating in ‘Default Gas Delivery Mode’. When operating in ‘High Flow Gas Delivery Mode’, the gas flow requirement is increased, which may exceed the capabilities of the Genius 1051, in this instance the Genius 3051 is the recommended solution.

At Peak Scientific we have a variety of gas generators which we can recommend for pesticide screening, depending on the instrument you use.  Our range of gas solutions include both integrated compressors and compressorless solutions with varying flows, pressures and purities. Contact us now to discover the ideal gas solution for your instrument and application.

Genius XE 35

Genius XE 35 nitrogen generator

 

 

To discover you cannabis testing gas solution    

 


 

Residual Solvents

Residual solvents are the by-prodcusts which can often be found in processed cannabis. Controlling the amount of residual solvents present in cannabis, and ensuring the amount present remains below the acceptable levels, is important for consumer safety.

Analytical instruments which can be used for residual solvent analysis include:

Instrument which can be used for Residual Solvents testing Peak Scientific recommended gas solution
Shimadzu Nexis GC-2030 with HS-20 Headspace Sampler or GCMS-TQ8050 with headspace Precision Series - Precision Nitrogen Headspace 
Agilent 7890 Series GC  Precision Series
Agilent Flame Ionization Detector Precision Series
Ellutia 200 Series GC Precision Hydrogen Trace for carrier gas 
Thermo Fisher TRACE 1310 Gas Chromatograph Precision Series
Thermo Fisher TriPlus 300 Headspace Autosampler Precision Nitrogen 
Thermo Fisher Instant Connect Electron Flame Ionization Detector (FID) for TRACE 1300 GC Series Precision Series
SCIEX QTRAP 6500+ System Genius 1024Infinity 1031

 

For residual solvent analysis with gas chromatography, a generator from our Precision series could be the perfect gas solution. Get in touch to discover which generator would best suit your specific requirements.


 

Heavy Metals

Depending on the growing medium used for cannabis cultivation, different contaminants can be found in the plants. Sometimes these may be heavy metals such as Chromium, Arsenic and Lead which are toxic, so their presence must be monitored to ensure safety.

Some instruments which are used to monitor the presence of heavy metals in cannabis include:

Instrument which can be used for Heavy Metals testing Peak Scientific recommended gas solution
Agilent 7800/7900 ICP-MS  Precision Hydrogen Trace 250cc
Agilent  8900 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS Precision Hydrogen Trace 250cc
Agilent 5110 ICP-OES  NG5000 or NG5000A
Thermo Fisher iCAP 7000 ICP-OES Genius 1053

 

If your application requires hydrogen gas for heavy metal testing, the Peak Scientific Precision Hydrogen Trace 250 may be the best gas solution. Get in touch to find out which gas generator we would recommend to best meet your needs.

 

Precision hydrogen trace 250

Precision Hydrogen Trace 250 


 

Mycotoxins Analysis

Long term storage of cannabis can result in fungal growth (mold) due to the high moisture content of cannabis. Mycotoxins are a toxic secondary metabolit of mold so it important to make sure that cannabis does not contain unacceptable levels of these toxins.

Instruments which can be used for mycotoxins analysis include:

Instrument which can be used for Mycotoxins Analysis Peak Scientific recommended gas solution
Shimadzu LCMS-8050 Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer* Infinity 1051, Genius 1051*, Genius 3051 *
SCIEX Triple Quad™ or QTRAP® 6500+ system Genius 1024, Infinity 1031 
Thermo Fisher TSQ Altis and TSQ Quantis Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer LC-MS/MS Systems  Solaris XE 35Genius XE 35
Thermo Fisher Q Exactive Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap LC-MS Mass Spectrometer Solaris XE 35Genius XE 35, Genius 1022
Waters Xevo TQ-GC Solaris XE 35Genius SQ 24 
Waters Xevo TQ-S Micro  Solaris XE 35Genius XE 35

* The Genius 1051 is the recommended Peak solution for both the 8045, 8050 and 8060, and will provide sufficient gas flow when the 8045/8050/8060 is operating in ‘Default Gas Delivery Mode’. When operating in ‘High Flow Gas Delivery Mode’, the gas flow requirement is increased, which may exceed the capabilities of the Genius 1051, in this instance the Genius 3051 is the recommended solution.

At Peak Scientific we have a range of gas generators which can be used as the gas supply solutions for mycotoxins analysis. The gas solution we would recommend for your application depends on the instrument you are using, it's requirements and your need for compressed air. Contact us now to discover your ideal gas solution.

 

If you found this article interesting you may also like:

Quality control in the growing cannabis market

Cannabis analysis using GC

Arizona Facilities Supply - User Story

Subscribe to our newsletter for regular product updates, news and insights.