LightLab was designed to be easy-to-use and deliver lab-grade accuracy. LightLab applies liquid chromatography which separates the cannabinoids, spectroscopy which uses light to analyze the sample’s compounds and linear regression mathematics to calculate sample results.

HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Your analytical laboratory likely uses High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to analyze your hemp or cannabis sample. Like an HPLC, LightLab pushes an extracted cannabis sample through a column. The column separates the cannabinoids in the sample by slowing down cannabinoids by different amounts based on their affinity to the column. This allows each cannabinoid to exit the column at a different time. For example, CBD may exit the column first, then D9THC and so on. Once the column separates the cannabinoids, they move to the next step in the analytical process: spectroscopy.

ULTRAVIOLET SPECTROSCOPY

Spectroscopy uses light to measure the analytical composition of compounds. During the analytical process the sample flows between a light source and a detector. The detector will quantify how much light is getting through the sample. Since every cannabinoid has a particular light absorption signature LightLab can provide quantitative measurements. LightLab borrows spectroscopy technology from the Curiosity Mars Rover, providing an accurate and dependable analysis every time.

LIGHTLAB CHROMATOGRAM AND CALCULATIONS

When LightLab analyzes a sample, it separates cannabinoids over time and detects them with UV light at several wavelengths. An HPLC works in much of the same way, though in many cases only one wavelength of light is utilized. In a standard HPLC, the chromatogram shows peaks that represent different analytes; the area of the analyte is correlated with the concentration of that analyte. While LightLab uses the chromatogram as part of its analysis, the calculation is not a strict peak area calculation. Instead, LightLab uses a sophisticated multi-dimensional, non-linear regression to calculate results. This algorithm uses multiple UV wavelengths along with the chromatogram to determine the final results. This allows for a more robust and accurate measurement of cannabinoids even with challenging environmental conditions and complex samples.