This on-demand webinar is a comparison of headspace and SPME-arrow injection techniques for the analysis of terpenes in cannabis cultivars.
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Götz Schlotterbeck
Dean Study Program Chemistry / Bioanalytics & Cell Biology and Analytical Chemistry FHNW (University of Applied Sciences and Arts), Muttenz, Switzerland
The cannabis and hemp markets are thriving around the world. South Africa is an emerging cannabis economy that is poised to become a major player in the global industry because of our favourable climate, the depth of our agriculture experience, and abundant viable land for farming. There is still a myriad of legislative and regulatory challenges to navigate and clarify, but great opportunities exist for businesses of all sizes to participate in the future growth of the cannabis sector.
The creates a need for cannabis testing and analysis, particularly potency testing. The high costs of setting up a cannabis and hemp testing laboratory and the wide array of choices can sometimes lead lab owners to make short-term, low-cost purchasing decisions. It is important to consider the long-term operations of the lab and define clear criteria for the choice of instrumentation.
Things to consider
Think in terms of ABLE methods: affordABLE, achievABLE, reliABLE, and repeatABLE when considering the instrument purchase. Other important decisions include the bench space in your lab and the footprint of the equipment, data processing, consumables, scientific consulting, education, and ongoing support. Finally, laboratories need to trust their instrumentation partner Chemetrix to support them with expertise and consultancy.
There is a bewildering range of testing equipment choices for the analysis of cannabinoids in cannabis and hemp products. How do you choose what’s right for you? Should you opt for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), or do your needs align better with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS)?
Setting up a cannabis testing laboratory involves several significant decisions, and instrument selection for total cannabinoid analysis (potency testing) is one of the most important ones. Potency specifically refers to the amount of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the sample, but other cannabinoids such as CBD, CBN, and others must be measured and reported as well.
Criteria for selecting instrumentation
The testing technology and equipment you select are dependent upon your commercial model, business goals, and type of laboratory set-up you have.
If you are a start-up cannabis and hemp testing laboratory, grower, extractor, or manufacturer with small batch-processing needs, you require entry-level testing equipment that yields repeatable and reliable results. HPLC is the most widely used technology for this use case, and the Agilent 1220 Infinity II LC is ideal for your purpose. Capable of processing about 100 samples per day, it is perfect for routine testing. The Agilent 1220 Infinity II HPLC is a self-contained system with a small footprint and reliably tests 11 of the major cannabinoids. Agilent 1220 Infinity II LC
An alternative to the 1220 system is the Agilent 1260 Infinity II HPLC. The 1260 platform is modular, flexible, upgradable, and can grow with your cannabis and hemp lab’s needs. High-throughput laboratories, cannabinoid researchers, forensic and criminalistic labs, and cultivar R&D may need to identify hundreds of cannabinoids and many other endogenous chemicals in cannabis and hemp. For these situations LC/MS is the answer. Agilent 1260 Infinity II LC
The Agilent Cary 630 FT-IR spectrometer is a type of equipment that is used for relatively simple testing of the four major cannabinoids with processed samples.
If your lab is pivoting to include cannabis potency testing in its service offering, speak to your Chemetrix sales representative who can advise if any upgrades or instrument acquisitions are required to ensure the lab can meet regulatory guidelines. If you’re newly venturing into this sector, Chemetrix is able to advise a complete solution that can ensure your lab can deliver results with a good return on investment from your analytical instrumentation.
To delve further into cannabis potency testing, read this article by Agilent Technologies that further explores the recommended testing technology and why they are best suited to the methodology required.
Watch this webinar to learn how dedicated UHPLC instrumentation and chromatography columns can help overcome the hurdles of compromised sample integrity and surface interaction.
The Deaf community is one of the most marginalised groups in South African society today. Over 80% of Deaf youth are unemployed and one organisation is working tirelessly to shrink this number, despite tough social and economic challenges.
About eDeaf
eDeaf is South Africa’s leading Skills Development training provider for Deaf youth. It is a BBBEE Level 2 company, with a Deaf CEO at the helm. The organisation strives to improve the social and economic lives of the Deaf community through a variety of empowerment and skills development programmes.
By adding value, not only to the individuals they train, eDeaf creates employable Deaf individuals who are able to contribute in a meaningful way to the economy. Their successful programs reduces the reliance on social grants and provides a boost to the economy.
An inspiring partnership
Chemetrix has partnered with eDeaf since 2017. Over the years, Chemetrix has sponsored 34 unemployed Deaf school leavers, as well as provided project funding. The team has been sincerely invested in the lives of the Deaf community and committed to making a difference, not only to individuals, but also as a contribution to the improvement of the country.
A big part of eDeaf’s mission is to sensitise the “hearing” community and help more of us see what life is like for Deaf persons. The organisation’s facilitators are Deaf which ensures learners are taught in their first language, South African Sign Language. This results in a greater success rate and better-prepared young adults who are entering the workforce.
Just like eDeaf, Chemetrix believes that we are stronger together. Great partnerships and supporting solutions that ensure everyone thrives are at the heart of future success for both organisations. It is our honour to be associated with an organisation doing remarkable work and we encourage our industry at large to support eDeaf’s work as well as greater inclusion of the Deaf community.
Organic solvents constitute a major fraction in the synthesis of pharmaceutical products. The manufacturing process for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) may contribute to residual solvents remaining in the final product. Producers need to monitor and control the levels of residual solvents for several reasons—including safety, effect on crystalline form, solubility, bio-availability, and stability.
Therefore, all products must be tested to assess whether the solvents used during the manufacturing processes are within the accepted limits. Quality assurance laboratories routinely use the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Method <467>.
Procedures for identification and quantification
The USP <467> monograph specifies the different classes of solvents per their toxicity, sets the concentration limits according to their health hazard, and describes the assay procedure for the solvents. A complete list of all the solvents that may be used in manufacturing processes is not mentioned under these classes. Therefore, the final products should be screened according to the solvents used during their specific manufacturing process.
The method is composed of three analytical procedures for identification and quantification.
Procedure A: Identification and limit testing. Uses a G43 phase (624-type column).
Procedure B: Confirms whether or not an identified solvent is above the regulated limits. Uses a G16 phase (WAX-type column).
Procedure C: Quantitative test using a G43 phase or G16 phase, depending on which produced fewer coelutions.
USP <467> analytical flowchart for residual solvent analysis.
Columns for excellent performance
Agilent J&W DB-Select 624 UI columns have shown excellent performance for residual solvent analysis according to USP <467> Procedure A. Repeatability was generally better than 2.5% RSD for Class 1, Class 2A, and Class 2B solvents. Once a residual solvent was identified above the permitted daily exposure (PDE) limit, Procedure B is performed to confirm analyte identity. The Agilent J&W DB-WAX UI GC column has been successfully used as a confirmation column, because it yields an alternate selectivity compared to that of a G43 column.
For this method, Chemetrix can recommend state-of-the-art analytical instruments. With best-in-class technology and powerful software, the Agilent 7697A headspace sampler is packed with the latest productivity-boosting features. It’s unique sampling design allows you to use hydrogen as a carrier gas, delivering optimal chromatography and helping to future-proof your lab.
Based on the Agilent Intuvo 9000 GC system, Agilent Residual Solvent Analyzers are factory pretested and preconfigured to deliver results, fast, while saving precious startup time. What’s more, their analytical precision exceeds USP method requirements for the three classes of residual solvents. It’s chemically tested to ensure optimal analysis of class 1 and class 2A/B solvents and labs can begin system calibration and validation immediately following installation.
Residual Solvent Analysis is a must in any manufacturing environment where solvents form part of the production process. Because this process is so critical, using the correct instruments suited for the lab requirements can save time and boost accuracy.
Quality control at the heart of it all
At every stage of the quality control process, Chemetrix can assist labs with full end-to-end solutions for your residual solvent analysis. Our team of qualified professionals can share a comprehensive portfolio of solutions, including different instrument models, software and consumables, that work together to provide accurate and reproducible results.
In this presentation, we will present the relevant GC/FID and GC/FID/MS based analytical strategies to confidently detect and quantify Class 1, 2, and 3 as well as unknown solvents in drug products. Learn how taking advantage of dual channel configuration and Agilent’s Smart, Connected, and Self-Aware systems can help you successfully meet your requirements for residual solvent analysis and ensure your testing is right first time and every time.
What will you learn
Understand what residual solvent impurities are and why it’s important to characterise and quantify them, even when present in trace amounts
Understand the current regulatory guidelines for residual solvent analysis in drug substance and product
Learn about the approaches for the confident identification and quantification of residual solvents
Who should attend this webinar
Laboratory managers
Chromatographers
Analytical chemists and scientists
New product developers
Pharma quality control managers
Speaker
Ian Eisele
Applications Chemist,
Gas Phase Separation Division,
Agilent Technologies
Youjuan Zhang
Applications Chemist,
Gas Phase Separation Division,
Agilent Technologies
Similar to our cars needing regular oil changes, tire pressure adjustments, or washer fluid top ups, our HPLC systems also need routine maintenance in order to keep them performing at their best. Even if you pay a mechanic to change your oil or a Field Service Engineer to change your pump seals, you should still know how frequently these preventive maintenance activities need to occur.
This presentation will look at several key issues, such as:
How often typical preventive maintenance (PM) tasks should be performed.
What signs to look for that may indicate a need for maintenance.
Tools for testing the LC systems before and after maintenance.
Basic troubleshooting and diagnostics.
The goal of this talk is to lay a strong and broad foundation from which to build a better understanding of your own HPLC systems and their specific maintenance needs.
Speaker
Paul Altiero Application Engineer Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Paul Altiero is an Applications Engineer located at the Agilent Little Falls site in Wilmington, DE. Prior to coming to Agilent in 2009, Paul worked in the pharmaceutical industry performing LCMS bioanalysis supporting Drug Discovery DMPK. While at Agilent, Paul has been a field service engineer for LCMS as well as the integrating program manager for the RapidFire high throughput LCMS system. In his current role Paul’s responsibilities include technical support and application assistance for LCMS consumables.
Are you just getting started with a new column you have never used before? Are you looking for ways to help your columns last a bit longer? These are some of the most common questions asked of our HPLC columns technical support team. In this webinar, we will discuss best practices for HPLC column care, including reversed phase, SEC, HILIC and more. This will include initial equilibration, benchmarking a new column, column storage, and other tips to help make your columns last longer.
Speaker
Mark Powell Application Engineer Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Mark Powell is an Applications Engineer located at Agilent’s Little Falls site in Wilmington, DE. Before joining Agilent in 2011, Mark worked in the pharmaceutical industry synthesizing, purifying and analyzing drug candidates. He provides applications assistance and technical support for Agilent’s HPLC columns and consumables.
Understand what mutagenic impurities are and why it’s important to characterize and quantify them, even when present in trace amounts.
Understand the current regulatory guidelines for nitrosamines analysis in drug substance and product in Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (sartan), ranitidine and metformin drugs
Learn about approaches for the prevention of the formation of GTIs and the confident identification and quantification of nitrosamines in APIs and drugs
In this talk we compare three commonly used techniques for the analysis of sugars. We will show the integration of the Metrohm Electrochemical detector into the Agilent OL CDS software. We will demonstrate the LOD and LOQs of each detector for a series of standards and samples.
Speaker
Sue D’Antonio Applications Scientist Agilent Technologies, Inc.
Sue D’Antonio joined Agilent (HP at that time) more than 30 years ago. For the last 15 years Sue has been an Applications Scientist in the Liquid Phase Separations Group. Sue’s application support extends to HPLC, UHPLC, CE and LCMS across a wide range of markets and customers.
