New tool automates pesticide residue testing in cannabis

"The new end-to-end offering also includes cannabis-optimized reagents and sample prep consumables as well as proprietary cannabis SOPs and cloud-based tracking and reporting software," the company said in a press release. "With the workflow, in-house and contract labs can increase pesticide analysis throughput with improved data quality, decrease laboratory waste, reduce the likelihood of operator error, and slash sample prep times to two hours from six to eight hours when performed manually."

The workflow begins with an integrated microbalance that captures and communicates sample ID and weight data. A multi-step, sample preparation procedure is then executed automatically by PerkinElmer's new liquid and sample handling system, the Janus G3 420 Workstation. This robotic technology conducts sample vortexing, centrifuging, filtering, and diluting, and includes integrated barcoding and scanning. The new One Pesticide 420 TM Reagent Kit provides calibration and quality control reagents as well as all the sample preparation consumables needed for consistent implementation of the new application-dedicated SOPs.

After the sample preparation is complete, the sample is analyzed on PerkinElmer's QSight 420 LC/MS/MS instrument in sync with regulatory frameworks.

'On average, cannabis labs perform up to 1,000 pesticide analyses per month and 60% of testing time is spent on manual sample preparation," says Greg Sears, Vice President and General Manager, Food & Organic Mass Spectrometry, PerkinElmer. "By bringing together and automating all of the pieces a lab needs to tackle pesticide analysis, our new workflow solution provides a streamlined approach that helps increase productivity, compliance, and consumer protection while also saving time and money."

Source: Greenhouse Grower
Photo: Humboldt Seeds

Source: Greenhouse Grower