Cannabis THC & CBD Change Over time
Timing is everything
When to harvest, how long to cure, and what is the storage or shelf life?
The harvest date has major implications. Cannabinoid and terpene levels can vary significantly within the last few weeks of flowering and across the crop. Achieving optimum effect and desired potency with consistent results means choosing when to harvest becomes critical.
Once harvested, cannabinoids and terpenes will continue to change. Testing to understand how the strain behaves over time will provide the necessary data to effectively manage the curing, processing, packaging and distribution processes to ensure highest quality with consistency.
How do you really know the actual potency?
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Indirect methods like Pistil, Trichrome observation or smell rely on personal experience and subjective perceptions that lead to inconsistencies.
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Using industry standard scientific methods
How do you accurately measure cannabinoids (THC% & CBD%)
Using high performance liquid chromatography separates a sample into its individual compounds that can be identified and percent content measured.
HPLC system uses a carrier solvent to pass the test sample through a column filled with elements that interact with the sample compounds. The interaction causes the individual compounds of the sample to flow at different rates resulting in separation. After separation, a light detector measures the absorption level which is used to identify & quantify each compound.
What does it measure?
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HPLC technology can be used to separate or purify substances down to individual compounds.
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Since the compounds are separated they can be identified and percentage concentration calculated, including cannabinoids and terpenes