Legalizing cannabis consumption is sweeping the nation. Today, 33 states (including Washington, DC) permit marijuana to be used medicinally, with 11 of them allowing it also to be used recreationally. This doesn’t mean that just anyone can start growing, manufacturing and selling cannabis products in these areas. Strict laws and ordinances exist at both state and local levels that regulate cannabis cultivation, production and distribution. Thus, each cannabis product meant for legal sale in the U.S. must first undergo analysis by a state-licensed lab. These labs test for potency (active amounts of THC and CBD), as well as safety, screening samples for possible contaminants such as pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, residual solvents, bacteria and other possibly harmful analytes. Only if a product meets all compliance requirements is it released for distribution and sale. Take a look at how homogenization helps the cannabis industry comply with state laws so that patients and recreational customers alike have access to high-quality cannabis products:
But First, What is Homogenization?
Homogenization is the process by which the components of a substance are each broken apart into particles that are equal in size and structure and then thoroughly mixed back together. Such a process ensures that a sample maintains the same molecular composition in each of its segments should it ever be divided.
How is Homogenization Used in the Cannabis Industry?
Homogenization is critical for the manufacturing and the testing of cannabis-related products.
Manufacturing
During the production of cannabis products (including, but not limited to, oils, edibles, concentrates, solids and liquids), homogenizers reduce the size of cannabis particles, standardize their composition and disperse them evenly across the final product. Having small, uniform cannabis particles equally distributed throughout a sample guarantees:
- Increased Bioavailability - Small particles maximize surface area and allow for increased dissolution and absorption of the active ingredient by up to 75%.
- Reduced Need for More Active Ingredient - Because more active ingredient is able to be absorbed, less is needed to make an effect.
- Faster User Response - And a better active ingredient that dissolves quickly means users feel a faster response, as well.
- Better Appearance (and Taste, When Applicable) - Properly mixing a product makes it look (and taste) better.
- Longer Shelf Life - Homogenization combines a product’s particles so effectively that they can’t separate, creating goods that last longer.
Testing
Homogenization is also critical for the testing and analysis of cannabis products. In order to assess potency and search for certain analytes, lab technicians must first homogenize a cannabis sample so that all its particles are evenly dispersed and can be trusted as an accurate and reliable representation of the cannabis product as a whole. Properly mixing a sample especially helps labs verify the concentration of cannabinoids and terpenoids, those ingredients that most influence a cannabis product’s overall efficacy. Furthermore, homogenization enables the effective grinding of a sample so that further assay testing can occur.
Want to Learn More?
The burgeoning cannabis industry is strengthened by the homogenization process. To learn how you can use homogenizers for cannabis products, contact our team at Pion. Our proprietary BEE brand high-pressure homogenizers can help guarantee cannabis products that are effective, consistent, safe, and profitable.
