Xylem’s specialist analytical products for the cannabis industry

Germany has, as of the passing of the Cannabis Act on 1 April 2024, become a more “cannabis-friendly” country. The hope is that partial decriminalisation of cannabis will help to destroy the black market and, importantly, improve quality control. And that’s where Xylem comes in.

Xylem’s expertise in monitoring and quality control throughout industries including pharmaceutical, chemical, and food & beverage, has helped businesses monitor and control production of raw materials through to final product for years.

Selective and rapid water determination in Cannabis

The determination of the water content in cannabis is of great importance for the qualitative assessment of the active components (THC, CBD) as well as its storage stability. Karl Fischer titration offers a selective and reliable alternative to the drying method.

Compared to the reference method of national and international pharmacopoeias, which require a determination via the loss on drying over 24 hours, the Karl Fischer method provides a selective and reproducible result in less than 30 minutes with a significantly smaller sample quantity.

Advantages of the Karl Fischer oven method

• Selective results, only water is determined
• Fast results in less than 30 minutes
• Small sample quantities for fewer sample losses
• Reproducible results
• Simple sample handling due to direct weighing into a glass vial

The results presented in Xylem’s white paper were obtained using SI Analytics® KF Titrators and KF Headspace Oven from Xylem using industrial hemp containing CBD.

Promoting healthy plant-life & maximising yield

Xylem offers several other analytical solutions to the cannabis industry, whether they be for licensed growers, or processors of substances containing cannabidiol (commonly known as CBD).

When it comes to growing any type of healthy plant-life, pH is an important factor to consider. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral (defined as: 6-7 pH) as it promotes healthier plant growth. A MultiLine^® portable pH meter with Sentix^® probe is ideal for this, giving an accurate, quantitative result compared to a litmus paper test. 

Cannabis growers should be mindful of temperature and humidity within the growing and storage areas as these parameters are also key for optimal growth, and both can be continually monitored using EBI 25 data loggers with remote alarm features.

In addition, growers can measure how well their plants are developing by using an Eclipse Brix refractometer to measure the sugar content of its sap, which is representative of a plant’s strength. Refractometers can also be used to control the dilution ratios of herbicides, pesticides and other solvents used.

Processing cannabis forms part of the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and more recently the food & beverage industry and requires stringent quality control. Amongst other tests, the measurement of optical rotation of cannabidiol by a polarimeter is simple and may be used to determine the purity or blend ratio of CBD type ((-)- or (+)- CBD) as well as used to ensure finished product is consistent between batches.

Download Xylem’s Cannabis Whitepaper today or visit Xylem’s website for more.