Partner With Agilent for Start-To-Finish Cannabis and Hemp Testing

Importance of the Topic

The rapid expansion of legal cannabis and hemp markets has increased the demand for reliable analytical testing solutions to ensure product safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.

Objectives and Overview

This article introduces Agilent's comprehensive portfolio for cannabis and hemp testing that covers sample preparation, analysis, method development, and consulting. The goal is to streamline laboratory workflows, support both routine quality control and advanced research, and enable consistent results across diverse testing requirements.

Methodology and Instrumentation

Agilent offers an integrated suite of analytical techniques tailored to key testing areas:

• Potency testing by HPLC with efficient Δ8- and Δ9-THC separation, enabling over 100 analyses in 24 hours.
• Pesticide screening using triple quadrupole LC/TQ for up to 96 injections per day, covering mycotoxins and pesticide residues.
• Heavy metals quantification via ICP-MS, capable of analyzing all metals across various matrices with a single calibration and up to 400 samples per day.
• Residual solvents and terpene profiling on GC/MS platforms, addressing state-specific regulations and detecting more than 40 terpenes, including sesquiterpenes.
• Microbial detection employing the AriaMX qPCR system paired with Medicinal Genomics kits offering single and multiplex assays for comprehensive microbial screening.

Complementary software tools, such as MassHunter, and ready-to-run digital eMethods streamline data acquisition, method deployment, and analysis, reducing setup time and decision complexity.

Main Results and Discussion

The combined solutions demonstrate high throughput, reproducibility, and compliance across all assay types. Preconfigured kits and digital method packages enable laboratories to analyze hundreds of samples daily while maintaining consistent performance. Integration of sample preparation products, columns, and supplies with guided workflows accelerates laboratory readiness and minimizes variability.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Enhanced laboratory productivity through validated, end-to-end workflows.
• Minimized regulatory risk via comprehensive testing across potency, pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, terpenes, and microbes.
• Scalable solutions adaptable from small QC labs to large industrial facilities.
• Flexibility to meet varying state and country regulatory requirements.

Future Trends and Applications

Expected developments include greater integration of automation and AI-driven data analysis, expanded multiplex and high-throughput platforms, broader adoption of digital eMethods for regulatory traceability, and the evolution of real-time, on-site monitoring tools to support decentralized testing environments.

Conclusion

Agilent's start-to-finish testing solution equips laboratories with robust instrumentation, validated workflows, and digital resources. This unified approach enables efficient cannabis and hemp analysis, meets evolving industry standards, and lays the foundation for future innovation.

References

• Agilent Technologies, Inc. Start-To-Finish Cannabis and Hemp Testing. USA, July 2021.