With the CBD industry skyrocketing in the last few years, demands are just as high as a need for safe production techniques and consistent results. Luckily, using various methods of chromatography has helped to meet these demands. These techniques have been a gamechanger for mass-produced, dependable, and safe products.
What Is Chromatography?
Chromatography is a method of separating a mixture into its individual parts. To start this process, technicians combine the test substance with an appropriate gas or solvent. After this, the specialist “pushes” the new blend through a unique system interacting with the concoction. Because of their chemical properties, different parts of the mixture travel farther through the system. After the individual compounds travel as far as they can, they leave a gradient with all the pieces separated apart. From here, technicians can see exactly what is in a product and how much of it there is.
Measuring the Potency
For companies to sell CBD products, they must have less than 0.3 percent of THC in them. Cultivators, manufacturers, and consumers all depend on the importance of chromatography in the cannabis industry to certify that their products are what the labels claim.
High-performance liquid chromatography (HPCL) separates CBD from the rest of the plant, including THC. Some people only want to use the CBD compounds for numerous health benefits while skipping out of the other parts of the plant. Others can’t afford to fail a drug test.
Testing for Pollutants
Like any other agricultural or extraction process, there can be residual pollutants leftover. Anything ranging from pesticides to solvents or even heavy metals can be leftover during the growing process. Gas chromatography is the most popular method to find contaminants because it is the most accurate in finding toxic solvent substances. For producers, it’s crucial to guarantee the proper disposal of HPLC waste.
People use CBD products in various ways, such as edibles, vaping, topical creams, or smoking. The health risks from these pollutants become more unpredictable when ingesting them through the lungs instead of through the digestive tract. Testing for contaminants by reputable manufacturers helps preserve the health benefits of CBD while minimizing any harmful side effects and unknown risks.
The importance of chromatography in the cannabis industry is only becoming more and more accepted as industry standards become tighter and consumer demand grows.
