PerkinElmer Product Helping Labs Meet Cannabis Action Limits

PerkinElmer, Inc., a global leader committed to innovating for a healthier world, today announced the launch of its QSight^® 400 Series Triple Quad Mass Spectrometer, a highly sensitive analytical instrument designed for rapid identification and quantitation of pesticides, mycotoxins and emerging contaminants in complex food, cannabis, and environmental testing applications.

For cannabis and hemp analysis, the high sensitivity of the QSight 400 Series supports laboratories in meeting state and federal regulations. PerkinElmer has developed a single LC/MS/MS method that meets pesticide and mycotoxin regulatory requirements—at levels well below state action limits, including California’s. Preliminary studies in cannabis flower, extracts and edibles also demonstrate the QSight 400 Series’ ability to meet new federal regulations in Canada, which set action limits nearly 10 times lower than California’s stringent list.

The QSight 400 Series not only offers the latest capabilities to meet current and future regulatory and market requirements, but also uniquely pairs with PerkinElmer’s deep domain expertise and complementary detection technologies, software and laboratory services to enable labs to succeed.

“The QSight 400 Series, combined with PerkinElmer’s scientific expertise in method development, enables cannabis testing labs to screen and quantitate residues with a single instrument. Supported by PerkinElmer’s product specialists, application scientists and post-installation professional services, our turnkey solutions are designed for new and evolving regulatory standards across all industries,” said Greg Sears, Vice President and General Manager, Organic, Discovery & Analytical Solutions, PerkinElmer.

While traditional analytical methods leverage a two-system technology approach of GC-MS/MS and LC/MS/MS, the QSight 400 Series instead utilizes a LC/MS/MS method with electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) for low level analysis of pesticides and mycotoxins. Using dual source (ESI/APCI) technology eliminates the need for any other analytical method, including GC/MS/MS, and enables five times greater detection capabilities than current industry methods.

“Given the health risks associated with pesticides, mycotoxins and emerging contaminants in food and the environment, shorter and efficient analytical turnaround times are key to determining the presence of residues. But, many labs do not have the range of technologies necessary to meet stringent and dynamic regulations,” said Sears.

Key features of the QSight 400 Series include:

Patented StayClean™ and hot-surface-induced desolvation (HSID™) technology reduces the amount of scheduled cleaning and maintenance, helping improve throughput by 15%.
Dual Source technology offering two separate independent ion inlets, which can be set to ESI and APCI sources—enabling the detection of a wider list of contaminants, including chlordane and pentachloronitrobenzene.

PerkinElmer also provides complementary laboratory services that help increase productivity and operational uptime:

Complete Standard Operating Procedures – outlining required sample preparation procedures, acquisition methods and consumables, for quick GC-MS, LC-MS and ICP-MS implementation.
Dedicated team of services professionals – offering analytical method services, asset procurement and disposition, business intelligence, qualification and validation, lab relocation, as well as instrument service and repair.