chromatography
18 Issue 6 2020
Overcoming the hurdles of cannabis and hemp testing with PerkinElmer
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ith the market for cannabis and hemp products continuing to grow rapidly, labs increasingly need rapid access to best-in-class analytical solutions geared toward the unique requirements of the industry. At the farm level, pesticides are often used in the cultivation of cannabis plants, helping to increase yields and protect plants from pests and diseases. Furthermore, the warm and damp growing conditions for cannabis plants can lead to the presence of carcinogenic mycotoxins including ochratoxin A and aflatoxins. Due to the potential health implications that pesticide and mycotoxin residues can pose on human health, governing and regulatory bodies have imposed many strict regulations to monitor their presence. To help the industry navigate the complex landscape of pesticide testing regulations, PerkinElmer offers the QSight Triple Quad highperformance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) system. This innovative solution
provides laboratories with an intuitive tool to analyse 66 key pesticides and mycotoxins at incredibly low levels. (0.005 to 0.25µg/g). Cannabis, like all agricultural produce, can also accumulate various trace metals from the environment around the plant. Of primary concern to cannabis producers are those heavy metals known to be toxic and harmful to human life when present at high concentrations, including cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury. Testing for heavy metals in biological entities can be complex, with many steps required to prepare samples and extract elements. PerkinElmer has designed the NexION ICP-MS and Titan MPS microwave system to provide an effective and reproducible method for analysing trace metals in cannabis and ensuring that products are safe to consume. The NexION includes a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) that allows heavy metals to be quantified in cannabis laboratories. In many ways, cannabis products are similar to other items that a customer may purchase or consume. These products must be rigorously tested to ensure that
PerkinElmer’s QSight LC/MS/MS system in action
PerkinElmer’s NexION ICPMS technology helps labs reliably monitor heavy metal contaminants
they’re safe and free from contamination. And, like other products in the medicinal and healthcare sector, they also need to be labelled with the correct potency to provide the right effects to consumers and patients. Historically, analytical methods for potency analysis have lacked robustness and reliability. To assist processors and thirdparty labs, PerkinElmer has designed the Flexar HPLC solution for the chromatographic separation of key cannabinoids in cannabis flower and several food matrices, using photodiode array (PDA) detection. Understanding and navigating both the complex regulatory systems and the range
of potential contaminants are the keys to success in the cannabis market. While this can be challenging for any processor, manufacturer or laboratory, PerkinElmer’s solutions are designed to help stakeholders overcome the potential hurdles of cannabis safety and quality analysis.
PERKIN ELMER Tel: (011) 564 0600 Fax: (011) 564 0899 sonja.oosthuizen@perkinelmer.com www.perkinelmer.com
Stellenbosch University invests in a Metrohm IC system for its new CAF water and soil testing laboratory
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Riana Rossouw (ICP-MS unit) and Janine Colling (Water and Soil unit) from the Central Analytical Facility alongside the Metrohm IC930 system
he new water and soil laboratory is an addition to the nine existing Central Analytical Facility (CAF) units at Stellenbosch University. The facility is equipped with a Metrohm 930 Compact IC Flex coupled with a UV/Vis detector, enabling easy quantification of anions and cations in aqueous samples. The UV/Vis detector is a pivotal addition to the system as it allows for the quantification of certain anions in more complicated matrices such as seawater. This detector will enable analysis of sea water samples collected during research expeditions, which are carried out on a regular basis to Antarctica. Ions quantified include Br-, Cl-, F-, NO2-,
NO3-, SO42-, PO43- and cations viz. Ca2+, K+, Li+, Na+, Mg2+, NH4. The system is coupled with an autosampler which allows the system to run unattended, automatically filtering and diluting samples when necessary.
METROHM SA (PTY) LTD Tel: (011) 656 1918 CPT: (021) 852 0213 DBN: (031) 265 0067 Fax: (011) 656 2698 076 643 7113 info@metrohm.co.za www.metrohm.co.za
