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Fast, accurate, and robust solution for routine commercial cannabis testing

As the world debates cannabis legalization for therapeutic applications and recreational use, the trends are shifting.  Medicinal use of cannabis is legal in an increasing number of countries worldwide, including 33 states and the District of Columbia in the United States. Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize the sale, cultivation, and distribution of cannabis in 2013. In the United States, Washington and Colorado were the first to fully legalize cannabis in 2012. By the end of 2019, 10 states have legalized recreational use for adults over the age of 21, with 64% of Americans favoring the move

In our last blog, I gave you some current highlights about the mysterious vaping illness that was making headlines (and still is). The condition now known as, e-cigarette or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) has sickened thousands and killed 57...

It’s been a momentous year for the cannabis industry in Canada. Not only did the country legalize cannabis with the Canadian cannabis law in October 2018, but it has also taken a giant leap in setting up a multi-billion dollar market from scratch. The progress made...

I did some digging on Google and decided to help answer the top 3 most searched queries about cannabis testing methods and technology, for both marijuana and hemp.     1. What equipment should I use to test my cannabis and hemp samples for mycotoxins,...

  The title says it all. Boar taint is a complex subject. For some, it’s not an issue. Others argue that it’s one of the biggest challenges to pork quality. It’s a very subjective response. In her blog, Dr. Laura Hancox illustrates the striking difference between the...

These days, it is not uncommon to hear about the overzealous application of pesticides to crops or the injection of antibiotics into animals. From grocery stores to restaurants, our food is at risk. How then, can consumers be assured that chemical contaminants like these , not to mention the risk of mycotoxin compounds are not making their way to your dinner table?

Recent regulations on food analysis require screening for pesticides using confirmatory techniques, such as GC-MS and LC-MS/MS. More than 1000 pesticides are used worldwide and, along with their metabolites and degradation products, are present in food. There is a demand for powerful and rapid analytical methods that can identify pesticides with high confidence in a broad range of food matrices and quantify at low concentrations with good accuracy and reproducibility. Challenges for pesticide residue laboratories at the moment are the request to test for more compounds, in a wider range of samples, all without sacrificing data quality.

During RAFA 2015, New Food Magazine hosted a roundtable (sponsored by SCIEX) to bring together experts with routine food testing backgrounds to discuss the latest industry trends, challenges, recent technological advances, and expectations of future laboratories.

In today’s poster talk Jens Dahlmann, Senior Applications Specialist at SCIEX discusses how mass spectrometry might be best suited to the identification of trace ingredients in foods. 

In this poster talk André Schreiber, Applications and Product Manager for Food and Environmental Markets at SCIEX guides you through a new method developed in conjunction with Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC). The method is designed to better detect a harmful substance that the infant formula and milk industry are under threat from – Sodium Fluoroacetate, otherwise known as Compound 1080 or Monofluoroacetate.

The meat trade hasn’t had a good reputation since the horsemeat scandal that burst into headlines in 2013. The scandal has left such a mark that meat speciation, adulteration and authenticity are still high-profile topics today. Think about it from a...

I am a label reader. I like to eat healthily and know what the long, confusing ingredients on the side of a package mean. Therefore, in the spirit of the holiday season, I dedicate this blog to all the gluten intolerant folks out there whose only wish is to eat a yummy cookie while also being absolutely positively sure it is gluten free.

The Proof is in Your Holiday Drink If you think bootlegging was limited to the age of Prohibition then you have never tested liquor for authenticity using mass spectrometry. Maybe it is a scientist thing, but we simply cannot help but bring up the subject as people...

On Thursday 26th November 2015, millions of households across the United States will sit down to a hearty traditional Thanksgiving meal. The Thanksgiving holiday is when people celebrate the blessings of the year, in particular the harvest. 

Truth – the first turkey I ever cooked was still frozen when it hit our plates. I couldn’t figure out why that thing was taking so long to roast. Then it hit me. I forgot to defrost the bird. If I recall correctly, even the giblets were still in it. It was ten p.m. when I broke the news to my guests that the turkey was not happening. A pizza was ordered, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief that they would not be suffering from a bout of food poisoning.

Before you start wondering if you should buy organic ingredients this Thanksgiving, it is good to know regulating bodies set and monitor allowable pesticide limits within our food supply. Pesticides that help control pests, disease, and deter unwanted animals from eating supplies found in fields, mills, and facilities. How and when this testing takes place in the United States is overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) according to five primary regulating statutes. 

Halloween is the time for lots of trick or treats ranging from chocolate bars to lollipops and oh so good candy corn. However, come October 31, it is time to mind sneaky ingredients that have the best disguise of all. From pork extracts, artificial sweeteners, to stuff that is hard to pronounce, SCIEX digs up some of our recent Food and Beverage studies for some ghoulishly good fun.

The Top Ten Things Scientists Think about on Halloween

Smart food shopping starts with labels.  However, what if we told you the ingredient list may not be all that it seems?  According to Food Safety News, producers are sneaking lower quality ingredients into our food to save money.  This type of food fraud  is estimated to cost the global food industry $10 to $15 billion per year. If you think back to the Middle Ages, even our ancestors were consumed with cost savings by inserting nutshells, seeds, berries, and more within their spices.

If you suffer from peanut allergies, you may want to think twice before diving into a bowl of something spicy. The reason being, some shipments of North American and European products containing ground cumin, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and pilli-pilli...

Did you know that even though most of the world is covered in water, access to clean drinkingwater remains a problem?  Take Asia for example where 62,000 people have lost their lives between 2001 and 2005 due to water-related disaster and illness. Clean water is...