Ionization Labs Deploying Cann-ID Hemp Cannabinoid Potency Testing Solutions at Texas A&M AgriLife Extensions

AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, December 8, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Texas A&M AgriLife has announced a multi-year hemp crop research collaboration with Austin, based, Ionization Labs. The program will utilize an approved USDA cannabinoid testing technology solution called Cann-ID.

"The Cann-ID solution support A&M AgriLife Extensions the capability to test hemp at initial AgriLife centers in; Lubbock, Uvalde, and Bryan-College Station.", said Tony Provin, who oversees the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory in Bryan-College Station. Texas A&M is long considered to be one of the globe's top agricultural academic and research universities.

"While we have one of the best soils, water, and forage testing laboratories in the nation, our ability to test for various cannabinoid compounds in hemp was limited," said Larry Redmon, Professor and Associate Department Head & Extension Program Leader. "With this new partnership with Ionization Labs, we no longer have that limitation and look forward to moving forward with our new capabilities."

Ionization Labs Co-Founders Alex Andrawes and Cree Crawford said they are excited and optimistic about collaborating with Texas A&M AgriLife. "Deploying, Cann-ID with A&M AgriLife extensions will provide hemp farmers with a powerful tool that can support cultivation best practices, precision agriculture, and overall success with this new crop," says Crawford.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, finalized federal regulations and guidelines, and those approved by the Texas Department of Agriculture, total THC concentrations cannot be more than 0.3% on a dry weight basis, or the crop must be destroyed.

"We know as much as 10%-20% of the production is often hot and has to be destroyed. We hope through our research and variety trials to help producers come up with management practices that will allow them to salvage their investment.", Dr. Provin added.

Calvin Trostle, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension statewide hemp specialist and agronomist, Lubbock, adds, "Having the Ionization Lab here in Lubbock will be good. A farmer should be testing their hemp probably weekly (once it begins to bud) to understand where the THC is beginning to rise and when it is approaching 0.2%. If it reaches that point, it is near time to harvest. You don't want it to get hot and be worthless.", Trostle said.

"We feel it is vital to work with the academic researchers to help accelerate the understanding of this plant and its cultivation practices to support successful outcomes industrywide. Cann-ID is a complete standardized testing platform, inclusive of; software, hardware, and testing methods. Analytics are performed with this standardized data acquisition, giving confidence in reproducible results. Additionally, because Cann-ID is Cloud-based, it opens the door for collaboration between academic and research institutions as well as commercial stakeholders that are not necessarily in geographic proximity. "says Shawn Helmueller, Chief Science Officer, Ionization Labs.

Alex Andrawes, Co-Founder/CEO of Ionization Labs, said the collaboration would allow producers to get data faster because they will be closer to the information. Getting chemical data as quickly as possible on the cannabinoids in the plant is essential for contracting purposes. It allows producers to harvest at the optimum time.

"Our intention from our inception to today is to provide all industry stakeholders an accurate, reliable, and cost-effective system to test their crop or processed cannabinoid derivative products. We knew this would start and end with cost-effective, rapid, high-frequency cannabinoid testing," Andrawes said.

Ionization Labs / Cann-ID, bringing scalable agriculture analytical testing to the masses.

The hemp research collaboration with Texas A&M AgriLife was initiated by deploying unique "de-centralized" potency testing solutions, called Cann-ID.

Ionization Lab is a software and data analytics company focused on the development and market deployment of scalable chemical analysis solutions. The specialty agriculture market was a tactical decision made by the founders to have an initial maximum positive impact.

"The U.S. hemp and states with legal cannabis programs were industries we knew we could have the greatest initial positive impact by our solutions. These crops are highly regulated, and potency analysis is the main datapoint hub that feeds all the industry ecosystem's spokes. The potency of this crop is not only the value of the crop; it also determines the legality and compliance of the crop.", Crawford said.

Ionization Labs is an ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited chemical testing and research lab, licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Their industry expertise from a scientific and practical industry understanding has earned them opportunities to serve on the Advisory Panel of AOAC's Cannabis Analytical Science Program, as Industry Partners with NASDA (National Association of State Dept. of Agriculture), and requests to sit on several professional industry boards.

"Our (Platform) combines proprietary cloud-based analytics software and methods with an Agilent Technologies, HPLC hardware platform. Cann-ID tests for all CBDs and THCs levels as well as additional valuable cannabinoids including; CBC, CBD, CBDV, CBG, CBN, CBCA, CBDA, CBDVA, CBGA, CBNA, THCA, THCV, THC-Δ8, and THC-Δ9.", Andrawes said.

The organization provides legal COAs (Certification of Analysis) as well as QA/QC testing services for clients from around the US, Canada, Europe, and South America. Additionally, their Cann-ID de-centralized cannabinoid testing solution is currently deployed and expanding, commercially on-premises with clients and partners in thirteen U.S. states and three foreign countries, consisting of, cultivators, extraction labs, toll groups, dryers, brokers, research groups, and other members of the growing hemp and cannabis industry ecosystem. They are in conversations with a number of foreign and domestic government groups to support more extensive testing and compliance solutions.

"The solution (Cann-ID) dramatically contributes to the hemp and legal cannabis industries' support through applicable data aggregation and analysis. .The solution gives industry stakeholders the ability to acquire and apply valuable operational data to impact a company's bottom line. It (Cann-ID) has many applications including; precision agriculture, precision extraction, research, compliance tracking, GMP manufacturing SOPs, transportation, banking, insurance, import/export, and TIC (testing, inspection/certification) before escrow transactions.",
Says Crawford

"It's been a heavy lift to get where we are today. We set out to create a scalable solution that could support an industry in great need of standardization. I think we have been successful", Says Andrawes

James Finnerty
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