What is Homogenization?

What is Homogenization?

First, what exactly is homogenization? In the context of cannabis, it’s the process of thoroughly breaking down and mixing flower to create a uniform blend. As the sample is then divided into smaller units for testing, each portion represents the aggregate of the combined product.

Why does this matter? As we’ve touched on in other posts, there are many factors that contribute to variance in products and their testing results. Homogenization is a critical step because it helps to control for variance by processing a blend of the sampled product, rather than getting results from a smaller, more specific subset of the total harvest.

This means that while we run tests on just six grams of homogenized flower (more on harvest, sample, and testing sizes here), the results are an accurate representation of what ultimately ends up in dispensaries and the hands of consumers.

So, how do we homogenize at PREE? As you can imagine, it’s more than an upgrade from the manual grinders known by many consumers. We brought in a state-of-the art device that shakes the flower nuggets in a closed container along with many small metal balls (like from a ball bearing) to pulverize the flower into a fine, uniform pulp. It’s effective, but it takes a long time, so we’ve found another way…

Ninja blenders! That’s right, the same one you would use for a smoothie. The Ninja blender produces the same end result, and it allows us to scale up the process more rapidly (not to mention cost-effectively). With this approach, we can keep dozens of Ninja containers and blades on hand to keep the lab running smoothly while maintaining quality control.

We clean each Ninja container regularly and also routinely test the sanitized vessels to confirm zero interference from contamination. Innovation in a lab comes in many forms — the most high-tech way is not always the smartest way!