Our Journey to The Intuvo Trifecta of Gas Phase Analyses

Importance of the Topic

The rapid expansion of legal cannabis and hemp markets has created a critical need for robust analytical workflows to assess potency, pesticide residues, solvents and terpenes. Comprehensive testing ensures consumer safety and product quality, supports regulatory compliance and builds confidence in a rapidly evolving industry.

Objectives and Overview of the Study

This white paper chronicles Agilent’s development of integrated gas-phase methods for cannabis testing, tracing early HPLC and headspace approaches through iterative refinements to the current Intuvo Trifecta methodology. Key goals included simplifying sample preparation, improving analytical performance, and unifying workflows across multiple analyte classes.

Methodology

A collaborative effort with leading cannabis laboratories identified five core needs: accuracy for non-ESI-friendly pesticides, rapid GC/MS/MS pesticide screening, solvent analysis tailored to cannabinoid matrices, reliable liquid-injection terpene quantitation, and streamlined sample prep. Rigorous validation addressed MDL, LOQ, accuracy, precision (%RSD), selectivity, linearity and robustness in complex matrices.

Instrumentation Used

• Agilent Intuvo 9000 Gas Chromatograph with MultiMode Inlet and Guard Chip
• Agilent 7010B GC/MS/MS and 5977B GC/MSD detectors
• Agilent 7650A Automatic Liquid Sampler
• Agilent MassHunter software suite

Results and Discussion

The Intuvo Trifecta delivers high-throughput, single-stream sample prep and orthogonal detection for pesticides, solvents and terpenes. Liquid injection replaced headspace to preserve higher-boiling terpenes. APCI-MS/MS was paired with GC/MS/MS and LC/MS/MS to achieve sub-ppb detection of challenging analytes. High dilution factors and backflush eliminated matrix fouling, extending uptime.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Unified platform reduces training and consumable costs
• Rapid, robust workflows for regulatory compliance
• Improved sensitivity and compound coverage
• Reduced maintenance via mid-column backflush

Future Trends and Opportunities

Emerging directions include further automation, integration of qPCR for microbial screening, application of high-resolution TOF for comprehensive profiling, and expansion into real-time process monitoring. Collaboration between instrument vendors and labs will continue to drive innovation.

Conclusion

Agilent’s iterative method development and validation have yielded a paradigm-shifting suite of gas-phase analyses for cannabis. The Intuvo Trifecta exemplifies evidence-based decision making, delivering accurate, high-throughput testing that meets evolving industry demands.

Reference

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