Grading
Size matters in drug delivery, and a nanoemulsion is the most versatile delivery system the world has ever seen. It's considered the gold standard for food and beverage formulations infused with cannabinoids like delta-9 THC (D9). Le Herbe is happy to introduce the world's first grading system for cannabis nanoemulsions because not all formulations are created equal. This point-based system has been in development for seven years and is the result of an industry-university collaboration. We gathered a wide variety of perspectives, including but not limited to consumers, growers, processors, food scientists, chemists, engineers, and much more. We considered numerous grading factors but ultimately came up with 12 categories as a starting point. Each category is weighted by the individual item, available options, category consideration, formulation consideration, and final product conditions.
We invite you to sit down with your team, go through each category, add up the item points in each of the 12 categories, and double- and triple-check your numbers. If you don't see a check mark or numerical value for an item, then put zero and move on to the next item or category. Cannabis nanoemulsions are classified as Grade A, B, C, D, F, or special grades for a select few. Grade D and F are the lowest quality and may not be safe for human consumption. Version 1.0 is the first iteration and will be fine-tuned until perfected.
Contact us today if you would like to add a category, add an item, exclude an item, change a rating, or want to have a conversation about the world's first nanoemulsion grading system. Share with your friends or colleagues, and let's make better cannabis products together.
Version 2.1
Start Here
| Cannabis Source | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Sun-Grown (outdoor) | |||||
| Hydroponic (indoor) | |||||
| Biosynthesis (yeast) | |||||
| Cannabis Extract | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Live Rosin | |||||
| Isolate | |||||
| Live Resin | |||||
| Badder / Batter | |||||
| Distillate | |||||
| Extract Analysis | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| CoA (full panel) | |||||
| CoA (potency + microbiology) | |||||
| CoA (potency only) | |||||
| Registered Lab (DEA) | |||||
| Accredited Lab (ISO17025) | |||||
| Non-Accredited Lab | |||||
| Purity | + 99% | 99-95% | 95-90% | 90-80% | 80-70% |
| Carrier Oil | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| LCT + Essential Oil | |||||
| LCT | |||||
| LCT + MCT + Essential Oil | |||||
| LCT + MCT | |||||
| MCT + Essential Oil | |||||
| Emulsifiers | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Phospholipids | |||||
| Saponins | |||||
| Polysorbates | |||||
| Esters | |||||
| Proteins | |||||
| Processing | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Microfluidics | |||||
| High-Pressure | |||||
| Sonication | |||||
| Rotor-Stator | |||||
| Combo | |||||
| Taste the Emulsion | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Flavorless | |||||
| Umami | |||||
| Sweet / Sour | |||||
| Salty | |||||
| Bitter | |||||
| Lab Analysis | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| DLS | |||||
| D50, nm | < 30 | 30 - 40 | 40 - 50 | 50 - 100 | 100 - 150 |
| D90, nm | < 30 | 30 - 40 | 40 - 50 | 50 - 100 | 100 - 150 |
| PDI | < 0.05 | 0.05 - 0.10 | 0.10 - 0.15 | 0.15 - 0.20 | 0.20 - 0.25 |
| EE, % | + 95 | 94 - 90 | 89 - 85 | 84 - 80 | 79 - 75 |
| TEM | |||||
| DL, interface | |||||
| DL, interface + oil core | |||||
| DL, oil core | |||||
| ELS | |||||
| Zeta Potential, mV (pH 3) | ± 40 + | ± 39 - 35 | ± 34 - 30 | ± 29 - 25 | ± 24 - 20 |
| Zeta Potential, mV (pH 7) | ± 40 + | ± 39 - 35 | ± 34 - 30 | ± 29 - 25 | ± 24 - 20 |
| Bio Analysis | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| In Vitro | |||||
| In Silico | |||||
| In Vivo (humans) | |||||
| In Vivo (animals) | |||||
| In Vitro + In Vivo | |||||
| In Silico + In Vivo | |||||
| Bioaccessibility, % (vitro/silico) | + 85 | 84 - 75 | 74 - 65 | 64 - 55 | 54 - 49 |
| Bioavailability, % (vivo) | + 85 | 84 - 75 | 74 - 65 | 64 - 55 | 54 - 49 |
| Packaging | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Stick Pack / Sachet (powder) | |||||
| Aluminum Can | |||||
| Plastic Bottle (opaque) | |||||
| Plastic Bottle (translucent) | |||||
| Plastic Bottle (transparent) | |||||
| Glass Bottle (opaque) | |||||
| Glass Bottle (translucent) | |||||
| Glass Bottle (transparent) | |||||
| Tincture (w dropper) | |||||
| Filling | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Filling (automated) | |||||
| Filling (semi-automated) | |||||
| Filling (hand filled) | |||||
| Headspace (LN2) | |||||
| Headspace (CO2) | |||||
| Headspace (O2) | |||||
| Storage | + 5 | + 4 | + 3 | + 2 | + 1 |
| Inside / Dark (< 50° F) | |||||
| Inside / Dark (50 - 60° F) | |||||
| Inside / Dark (60 - 75° F) | |||||
| Inside / Light (< 50° F) | |||||
| Inside / Light (50 - 60° F) | |||||
| Inside / Light (60 - 75° F) |
FAQs
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Grading Scale
LE HERBE 120-130 LE HERBE 110-120 LE HERBE 101-110 A + 94-100 A 87-93 A - 80-86 B + 73-79 B 66-72 B - 59-65 C + 52-58 C 45-51 C - 38-44 D + 31-37 D 24-30 D - 17-23 F 16 and below * Cheaters never win :)
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Cannabis Source
- Max: 5
- Min: 0
The maximum rating is 5 because living soil, sunlight, master growers, and Mother Nature grow the best cannabis. The minimum rating is 0 because you may not know how your cannabis is grown (not recommended).
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Cannabis Extract
- Max: 5
- Min: 0
The maximum rating is 5 because these are solventless and full-spectrum extracts. The minimum rating is 0 because you may not know what type of extract was used (not recommended).
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Extract Analysis
- Max: 15
- Min: 0
The maximum rating is 15 because you can do a full panel analysis of your cannabis extract, in a registered lab (DEA), and have a purity of +99%. The full panel certificate of analysis (CoA) includes tests for potency, heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticides, residual solvents, pathogenic microbiology, and listeria monocytogenes. The minimum rating is 0 because you may not test your cannabis extract or even know the purity (not recommended).
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Carrier Oil
- Max: 5
- Min: 0
The maximum rating is 5 because a combination of long-chain triglycerides (LCT) and essential oils have better bioavailability than LCT by itself. You need to choose the right oils and ratio in order to have a rating of 5. The minimum rating is 0 because medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) are not big enough to fit cannabinoids (not recommended). If you look at cannabis nanoemulsion product labels and they use MCT then this is an excellent way to tell that the company / product is low quality. You may choose not to use a carrier oil depending on the type of cannabis extract and processing conditions, but we did not give this a rating at this time.
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Processing
- Max: 6
- Min: 1
The maximum rating is 5 because microfluidics can easily make a nanoemulsion that is monodisperse (< 0.1 PDI) by adjusting flow rates for a lab-on-a-chip (LOC). Microfluidics should not be confused with microfluidization or the company Microfluidics International Corporation (e.g., Microfluidizer®). Microfluidizer uses a hybrid of high pressure and a fixed channel to produce cannabis nanoemulsions with a hydraulic pump that may break down over time. The minimum rating is 1 because a combination of processing equipment may be a better option than a single process / equipment by itself (i.e., coarse emulsion to nanoemulsion). If listed, add 1 point (combo) to the primary equipment used to make a nanoemulsion not a coarse emulsion.
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Taste the Emulsion
- Max: 5
- Min: 1
The maximum rating is 5 because flavorless formulations are very technical. Umami is an art and very complex. Sweet and/or sour hide the bitterness of your cannabis extract, cheap ingredients, or a bad formulation. A salty nanoemulsion does not taste great and may effect the zeta potential or stability of the formulation. The minimum rating is 1 because bitter nanoemulsions are not appealing to consumers. Humans have natural instincts and we think that anything bitter is bad for your health. Ask for some help or take your product off the shelf.
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Lab Analysis
- Max: 50
- Min: 0
The maximum rating is 50 because you can analyze your cannabis nanoemulsion with dynamic light scattering (DLS), electrophoretic light scattering (ELS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). D50 or Dv50 is the median diameter of the particle size distribution in your nanoemulsion. For example, if you conduct DLS and your cannabis nanoemulsion is D50=40nm, then 50% of the particles in the sample are larger than 40nm, and 50% are smaller than 40nm. If D90=40nm then 90% of your particles are below 40nm. Polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and drug localization (DL) are very important parameters characterizing your nanoemulsion. The minimum rating is 0 because you could not perform any lab analysis (not recommended). Le Herbe offers lab services if you do not have expertise or access to this equipment.
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Bio Analysis
- Max: 15
- Min: 0
The maximum rating is 15 because you can simulate digestion in vitro and confirm bioaccessibility / bioavailability potential in vivo with a human pharmacokinetic study (PK). Bioaccessibility rating is for in vitro and in silico only. Bioavailability is for in vivo only. We understand that you can conduct an additional equation for bioavailability potential (vitro/silico), but we decided not to include this at this time. The minimum rating is 0 because you could not perform any bio analysis (not recommended). Le Herbe offers bio services if you do not have expertise or access to this process.
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Packaging
- Max: 5
- Min: 1
The maximum rating is 5 and based on a conversion of a liquid nanoemulsion to a cannabis powder. Liquid nanoemulsions have a typical shelf life of 1 year in proper packaging / storage conditions and degrade over time. A cannabis nanoemulsion converted to a powder has a shelf life of 3 years and gets better with age via curing. The minimum rating is 1 because transparent glass packaging or tinctures degrade cannabis nanoemulsions. Tinctures are usually glass with transparent, translucent or opaque labels, but we based the low rating on safety concerns. If a water based tincture (alcohol free) is not stored in the refrigerator after you open it, manufacturer forgot to add preservatives, and/or you have contamination of the dropper then you have product liability (not recommended).
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Filling
- Max: 10
- Min: 2
The maximum rating is 10 because you can automate your packaging and fill your liquid or powder under a nitrogen atmosphere. The minimum rating is 2 because you may hand fill your nanoemulsion under oxygen atmosphere (not recommended).
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Storage
- Max: 5
- Min: 0
The maximum rating is 5 and based on storing your cannabis nanoemulsion in a temperature controlled environment below (< 50° F) in the dark. The minimum rating is 0 because you may store your nanoemulsion above 75° F in a lighted environment or even outside (not recommended). We considered that transporting nanoemulsions may cause confusion because it could have numerous storage conditions. Do not take transportation into the equation at this time.