Sage Analytics Media Coverage

Common Questions About Sage Analytics’ Cannabis Potency Measuring Tech

Really, How Does Sage Analytics’ (NIR) Spectrometry Technology Work to Measure Cannabis Potency?

What is NIR (near infrared light) spectrometry and how does it work?

A beam of light is shined through a small sample of cannabis or extract. Due to the nature of light, some of the light is absorbed by the sample, some scattered forward, and some reflected back. The portion of light not absorbed by the sample is directed to a spectrometer, which measures the spectrum of the resulting light.

Think of a spectrum like a rainbow. The remaining intensity of different colors produced by separation of the light according to wavelength tell us the materials that the light is passing through. The Sage Analytics Profiler reads the cannabis “rainbow” and allows fast, nondestructive measurement. Another way to look at it is like an inverse finger print. Sage Analytics knows what light is going in and can see how the cannabis absorbs light based on what it’s made of. By reading the light, we have the ability to quantify how much of the four major cannabinoids are in each sample.

Why is it better than traditional testing?
While chemical analyses of cannabis has long been established, it can take days, even weeks, to complete. The process is also high in labor and material costs. Because samples are destroyed during traditional chemical testing, this limits its applications to small sample-size, one-time measurements.

Also, time delay prevents growers from measuring THC levels during cultivation and thus they have no scientific measurement for fluctuation in optimum harvest times for maximum THC levels. Because Sage Analytics uses (NIR) Spectrometry, tests are done with a “scan and read” capability.

This seems like science fiction, but it’s been used to make your pharmaceuticals, supplements, cosmetics, and food and beverages for decades. No samples are destroyed and cultivators and labs can get instant results on potency levels. This is important because as a high-value economical crop, cannabis’ valuation is not so much tied to its weight, but its potency.

Sage Analytics featured on the Reason Blog

Sage Analytics’ Chief Scientist, Dr. Alex Masowski, talks with Reason about navigating the moving target of cannabis regulations.

“Dr. Alex Masowski, the Chief Scientist at Sage Analytics, an industry leading supplier of in-house testing equipment for cannabis, says that “companies are looking at a moving target” when considering regulations.

“All of these companies would hope to exist in multiple states, and there is a cost and a waste associated with having different marketing or packaging of the same products across state lines,” Masowski told Reason.”

Read Full Article.

5 Things Cultivators Should Know About Cannabis Potency Testing

Cannabis Business Times Talks with Sage Analytics Chief Scientist – Alexander Makowski.

At its core, the purpose of potency testing is to demonstrate compliance, accurately label products and ultimately obtain a certificate of authenticity from an accredited third-party lab, according to Alexander Makowski, chief scientist at Sage Analytics.

Beyond the basics, though, regular testing can also help growers optimize potency in their crops, Makowski adds. Sage Analytics develops portable, laboratory-quality cannabis potency measuring systems, and on-site testing goes a step further by having the science at a grower’s fingertips and leading to fewer surprises in cultivation and production, Makowski says.

Potency testing tends to be a routine part of the of the job for cultivators, but how deeply do growers understand the process?

Here are some key insights to help cultivators better understand potency testing.

CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE.

Looking into the Crystal Ball of Cannabis Testing Regulation

Alexander J Makowski, PhD; Chief Scientist at Sage Analytics writes for Terpenes and Testing Magazine about the challenges and opportunities ahead as states race towards recreational legalization while cannabis is still federally illegal.

Amidst the chaos and uncertainty of evolving and expanding cannabis regulations, one thing alone is clear: all responsible parties desire legislation that provides the highest level of patient safety. At first glance, this may make the disagreements, lobbying, and even protesting seem less meaningful; however, the devil is in the details. Despite the unanimous consensus about the overarching goal of cannabis regulation, the inevitable dispute about current legislation arises as concerned parties disagree on the best methods and execution strategies in order to achieve this lofty goal.

Full article below.

Sage Analytics Featured in Terpenes and Testing Magazine

Sage Anayltics’s in-house cannabis potency testers the Beacon and the Profiler test the CBD and THC content in cannabis flowers in seconds, giving cannabis labs, dispensaries and growers the ability to have lab grade potency details for their products.

Sage Analytics was founded on the idea of bringing these tried and true principles of quality control and analytical testing into the cannabis industry. Leveraging 17 years of experience in design, customization, and automation of analytical testing for highly regulated FDA manufacturing environments with our parent company Prozess Technologie, we created the Sage Beacon and Luminary for accurate and precise in-house potency analysis. To this end, we were able to pre-program the chemometric techniques we supply to household pharmaceutical brands for cannabis flower and extract, packing the science inside our plug- and-play touchscreen interface devices. Thus, you receive testing within seconds with no cost and downtime in production.

Full Article Below

Sage Analytics Featured in SunGrower Magazine 2018 Spring Issue

Smaller plants, bigger returns; Refining cultivation with technology.

Doing business as a cannabis cultivator is increasingly competitive. In this article learn how cultivators are using cannabis potency testing technology to improve product and decrease overhead. Some growers, like Mission Nurseries are using potency testing technology of Sage Analytics to take the highroad towards boutique flowers – rather than racing to the bottom to compete on price.

By using Sage Analytics testing, Mission Nurseries, was able to correlate THC potency with premium aroma. Because additional vegetative growth wasn’t achieving a higher quality flower, the growth period was shortened. Now they more smaller plants for less time and have a higher ROI.

Contact Lauren for more information on Sage Analytics potency testing technology at laurenw@sageanalytics.com

Read full article on page 21.

Sage Analytics Beacon Profiler Featured in MG Cannabis Retailer

2018 is going to be great year for the cannabis community. We are kicking off the year with a spotlight in mg Cannabis Retailer.

The Sage Analytics Beacon Profiler is a desktop cannabis testing machine that provides real-time potency measurements, including total THC, THCA, CBD and CBDA. Designed for control freaks, whether they’re growers, labs, or MIP producers.

Integrated touchscreen
Perfect for those with limited space
Perfect point-of-sale campanion
Real-time laboratory grade potency testing

Contact Lauren Wilson at laurenw@sageanalytics.com for details.

Sage Analytics’ Chief Scientist featured in CannabisBusiness Times.

Michigan Releases Medical Marijuana Regulations, Opens Licensing Applications

“Michigan’s testing requirements are the government’s first line of defense for the consumer. Growers should test their product in their own facilities when possible to ensure they know what to expect from lab results.” – Alexander Makowski, Ph.D, chief scientist at Sage Analytics

Link to full article here:

http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/michigan-releases-medical-marijuana-regulations-opens-licensing-applications/

Sage Analytics Humboldt Profiler II Featured in The Portland Phoenix

Sage Analytics Humboldt Profiler II Featured in The Portland Pheonix

THIS MACHINE TESTS HOW STRONG YOUR BUD IS — HERE’S HOW IT WORKS.

The Profiler II uses near-infrared spectroscopy to analyze a marijuana sample. There’s some hard science behind this, which involves measuring the overtones and combinations of bond vibrations in molecules. The cannabis sample is bathed in near-infrared light and by measuring and comparing the wavelengths of what’s reflected and what’s absorbed by the sample, an observer can calculate exactly what’s in it. Light particles, known as photos, contain a lot of information. Thankfully, you don’t need to know anything about the electromagnetic spectrum, because the machine does all the heavy lifting, spitting out data after about 10 seconds. Near-infrared technology is a fast, reliable, and non-destructive technique used already in the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries.

The technology is typically only available for people in scientific careers priced at hundreds of thousands of dollars, however, it has been used through these smaller devices by growers, extract producers, edible manufacturers, and dispensaries for a couple years now.

“We took the same technology that was being used in pharma to test drugs and designed it to test the potency of cannabis,” said Wilson. “It’s an FDA approved technology and it’s very inexpensive.”

Read the full article here: https://www.portlandphoenix.me/columns/homegrown-in-maine/item/7100-this-machine-tests-how-strong-your-bud-is-here-s-how-it-works