TLC Cannabis Test-Kits on the market: a long story short
The history of cannabinoid detection and quantification using Chromatography:
Mikhail-Tsvet
Chromatography, which literally means marked color, is the general term used to define laboratory techniques to separate complex mixtures.
Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) is the first-ever analytical technique used to separate and detect compounds in natural products. The TLC method has been and is still used as an analytical tool with regard to quality control measures for many industry sectors, such as the agricultural, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical fields. For almost a century, it was the preferred method to primarily recognize active ingredients present in the product manufacturing process and in the end product, itself.
1900
Official Birth of Modern Chromatography
Modern chromatography began more than 100 years ago when Russian botanist and plant physiologist, Mikhail Tswett, developed his differential migration method of liquid-solid chromatography, which he published in 1906. He succeeded in resolving complex mixtures of structurally similar yellow and green chloroplast pigments of various leaf extracts by using a pure solvent to develop the chromatogram. The colored pigments Tswett studied formed readily visible bands, which evolved through the application of selective adsorbents and extraction to purify the chlorophyll; hence he coined the term "chromatography". Chromatography—"color writing" (derived from the Greek root words: 'chroma', meaning 'color', and 'graphein', meaning 'to write or express by written characters')— earned Tswett the cognomen "father of chromatography".
Thin Layer Chromatography evolved from the experiments of a Dutch biologist, M. W. Beyernick, in 1889, with later improvements during World War II by American scientists, J. E. Meinhard and N. F. Hall, who used the technique to separate terpenes found in essential oils. Building upon their work, Justus G. Kirchner and colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s fruit and vegetable laboratory in California improved TLC by utilizing adsorbent-coated glass plates Kirchner called "chromastrips". Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, Kirchner and colleagues also perfected TLC techniques by using square-coated glass plates, carrying out two-dimensional chromatography, and introducing the use of reactions on plates for identification purposes.
Since its inception, this technique has been an inexpensive, reliable, fast, and easy method for distinguishing different compounds. The method used to be qualitative, as it showed the presence of a compound, but not how much of the compound was present. In the late 1960s, TLC was refined so that it could reliably measure the amount of various compounds. In other words, the technique became quantitative. Further refinement reduced the thickness of the support material and increased the amount of separating material that could be packed onto the support. In high-performance TLC (HPTLC), the resolution of chemically similar compounds is better than that of conventional TLC, and less starting material is required. HPTLC requires specialized analytical equipment, and so is still not as popular or widespread as conventional TLC. TLC is useful in detecting chemicals of forensic concern, including chemical weapons, explosives, and illicit drugs. Advances in TLC technology, largely driven by the efforts to quell terrorism, have benefitted forensic science. For example, the Forensic Service Center of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has designed a computerized and portable TLC machine that can be taken to the field and has the ability to analyze 20 samples at a time. Analysis can be completed within 30 minutes. This allows an analysis that previously required a dedicated laboratory to be done at the scene.
The UNODC explains how TLC helps to determine illegal cannabis origin based on the cannabinoids present
UNODC recommended TLC for cannabinoid detection in the '80s
In 1980 the United Nations of Drug and Crimes (UNODC) published a paper from Baker et al. based in the United Kingdom, called « Illicitly Imported Cannabis Products: Some Physical and chemical features indicative of their origin».
This study was conducted on illicit cannabis and cannabis resin samples seized from known geographical locations; samples were examined by TLC. The chromatographic characteristics were considered in conjunction with the gross physical appearance of the materials and it was found possible to discriminate between samples of different origin. Thus, by carrying out thin-layer chromatography and visual inspection of a sample of unknown provenance, a theory as to its geographical origin can be offered, thus this sample collection can be considered a reference source by which to compare samples.
Isolation and first described the structure of anandamide
"Animated Anandamide Molecule"
In 1991 Lumír Hanuš William Anthony Devane isolated and first described the structure of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoidneurotransmitter by using the TLC method in his lab as the first screen testing to target deeper analysis led by Raphael Mechoulam at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Birth of the first European Cannabis patient program with the strain “SIMM 18”
Franco Loja before Strain Hunter at the SIMM facility
In the Netherlands in 1995, a new medical cannabis program began to emerge to provide assistance to patients in need of cannabis treatment; this company, Maripharm B.V., was directed by Marcel de Wit.
It was the first Dutch company to research and deliver cannabis to patients through pharmacies, coffee shops, and patient associations. The Maripharm mission was to make medical cannabis safe, accessible, and affordable. They worked extensively on analytical methods to detect cannabinoids as other plant ingredients as well as contaminants. The TLC technique was their method of choice for day-to-day testing. In 2002 the medical cannabis growing licence was granted. For this occasion, Maripharm and GreenHouse seed company joined forces under the name, Sitching Institute of Medicinal Marihuana (SIMM), directed by James Burton who obtained the first Dutch growing permit to produce high THC strains for medicinal purposes.
The Greenhouse seed company was in charge of the cultivation procedure. Franco Loja, now famous for being a Strain Hunter, was the Grower Technician of the SIMM facility at that time. This was when Franco was working closely with GHSC. On the other hand, Maripharm was in charge of the lab quality control process, and Ronald Glas was the lab technician assisting Marcel de Wit with cannabis analysis at Maripharm.
2004
SIMM replaced by Bedrocan
SIMM 18 Cannabis Flower
In 2004, SIMM was officially withdrawn and discarded from the Dutch program following a series of events, due to restructuring of the Medical Cannabis Bureau. Then, the only remaining company with a license to grow medical cannabis under Dutch law was a company called Bedrocan B.V. This series of events gave Bedrocan a total monopoly in the Netherlands and in the EU for the past 13 years.
2005
The first TLC Patent and the first test kit for cannabinoid analysis available in the EU
After Maripharm was shut down, its former lab technician Ronald Glas, filed a pending patent in 2005 on a Thin Layer Chromatography procedure, which had been developed by Maripharm back in the day.
At the time he approached Canna B.V., who produced the famous CANNA fertilizers. It was at this point, that they started to work together to introduce the first TLC cannabinoid test kit, which was called « Cannalyse ».
Canalytics vs. Cannalyse (or CANNA vs. Kulu Trading)
Beware of other types of testing kits sold on the internet: They often contain outdated or nonfunctional components.
After CANNA and Kulu Trading encountered irreconcilable differences, both companies decided to end their collaboration. However, Kulu Trading kept on producing the « Cannalyse » test kit, but they distributed the product under a new brand name called « Cannalytics ».
In this context in 2008, CANNA filed a complaint to the justice department of Benelux citing the abusive use and confusion brought on by the trademark and use of the name, « Cannalyse », which was in direct conflict of interest with the name « Cannalytics » as distributed by Kulu Trading. CANNA won the exclusive ownership of both names meaning that every company that is selling testing kits under these names can be directly sued by CANNA. See court case conclusion.
Nowadays, you can still find a website hosted in the U.S. selling the Cannalyse version of this testing kit. Likewise, a 10-year-old version of Cannalytics is still being sold, as well! Another variation of the Cannalyse TLC kit is also being sold under the name of GrowBuddy. Because of the situation regarding direct conflict with CANNA, the sale of a TLC test kit like this in the EU is impeded.
2009
TLC used as a semi-quantitative method by densitometry
In 2009, Leiden University to showed that by using densitometry, TLC can be semi quantify constituent levels. The study was conducted by Justin Fischedick and Arno Hazekamp (former Director of Bedrocan R&D) who published the results in 2010.
Sébastien Béguerie, now alpha-CAT Founder and CEO, used the TLC method for his thesis in NL.
At this time Sébastien Béguerie was finishing his master's thesis sponsored by Bedrocan B.V at Wageningen University. His thesis title was, ‘Yield improvement of Cannabis sativa inflorescences by natural plant growth regulators’. Obviously, during his research, he needed a method to quickly and inexpensively run extensive cannabinoid tests. After reading Fischdick‘s publication, it was revealed that the TLC techniques were best-suited for his thesis purposes. However, he still needed to find a straight way to semi-quantify his results to have a solid date for this statistical analysis.
2011
Birth of the alpha-CAT test kit with updated calibration charts for the 6 main cannabinoids
Alpha-CAT Calibration Charts
From his previous research study, working with image analysis on root system architecture, Mr. Béguerie found a way to see the spot size of each cannabinoid in correlation with its percentage. It turned out that using a scanned plate picture and measuring the surface area by using the number of pixels, Mr. Béguerie found a « regression line » meaning that the spots were indeed proportional to the content of cannabinoids.
From this regression line, Mr. Béguerie created a more simplified version of the cannabinoid calibration chart for the 6 main cannabinoid constituents found in Cannabis> (e.g., CBD, CBN, THC, THCV, CBG, CBC). In 2011, Mr. Béguerie re-designed the entire scope of the TLC test kit by offering a new, more user-friendly version with a step-by-step booklet proven to give reliable data.
Mr. Béguerie called the kit « alpha-CAT » (Cannabinoid Analysis Test), given there would now be the possibility to reveal the unseen by unraveling the mystery of the trichomes with "the eyes of a feline” enabling the understanding of the chemistry beyond the bud.
Cannatest was pleased to use the alphaCAT calibration method after a year of beta testing with Cannatest competing with the most advanced lab in Washington state.
2013
A Comparative test between GC-FID and the TLC method.
Mr. Béguerie decided in 2013 to run another comparative test with GC-FID at CannaFundacion, the results of which were presented at the 7th International Conference on Cannabinoids in Medicine.
IACM, Cologne, Germany, September 27-28, 2013. Since Mr. Béguerie has been training and setting up an alpha-CAT mobile lab at the Cannabis College of Amsterdam. He has accredited both GreenHouse Medical as an official Alpha-CAT tester for their R&D cannabis project around the world.
2015
alpha-CAT Lab moved to Praha, to work with patients coalitions and scientific organizations.
He also puts forth his best efforts to aid the "Union Francophone pour l’utilisation des cannabinoïdes en Médecine" (UFCMed), which is a French cannabis patients organization that is fighting to transform the legislation surrounding the right to choose cannabis as medicine.
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After Maripharm was shut down, its former lab technician Ronald Glas, filed a pending patent in 2005 on a Thin Layer Chromatography procedure, which had been developed by Maripharm back in the day.
Beware of other types of testing kits sold on the internet: They often contain outdated or nonfunctional components.
After CANNA and Kulu Trading encountered irreconcilable differences, both companies decided to end their collaboration. However, Kulu Trading kept on producing the « Cannalyse » test kit, but they distributed the product under a new brand name called « Cannalytics ».
In this context in 2008, CANNA filed a complaint to the justice department of Benelux citing the abusive use and confusion brought on by the trademark and use of the name, « Cannalyse », which was in direct conflict of interest with the name « Cannalytics » as distributed by Kulu Trading. CANNA won the exclusive ownership of both names meaning that every company that is selling testing kits under these names can be directly sued by CANNA. 
