SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9, 2024 – PRESS RELEASE – Ziel’s radio frequency technology received Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification in the European market for the control of microbial pathogens in cannabis flower.
GMP defines the minimum standard that medical manufacturers must meet in their product processing operations under the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which coordinates and standardizes GMP activities at the European Union (EU) level. All entities that import, produce and/or process, or export cannabis to and within the EU are required to be GMP certified, representing a substantial investment and commitment to comply with these regulations.
“We are delighted that our radio frequency technology has received the first EU GMP approval for microbial control,” Ziel CEO and co-founder Arthur de Cordova said. “We are well positioned in the EU to solve a problem every cultivator needs to address if they want to secure a presence in the rapidly growing European cannabis market.”
Unlike ionizing forms of radiation such as X-ray, gamma, and e-beam, radio frequency is a non-ionizing, thermal process compliant with organic processes. In the European market, radio frequency does not require additional labeling and licensing for use in cannabis decontamination. For example, Germany requires registration of all strains treated with ionizing radiation (X-ray, gamma, and e-beam) prior to distribution within the country; a process that takes 12 to 18 months and an administrative fee of €5,000 per strain.
With this first GMP certification, Ziel’s technology now provides cultivators and post-harvest processors seeking to produce within the EU, or export to the EU, a clear, streamlined pathway for integrating a microbial control step into their operations.
Ziel introduced its next generation cannabis microbial control solution, the RFX, in November 2023. The RFX has a greater than 99% pass rate and the highest volume throughput in the industry with the capacity to process 160 pounds of cannabis in an eight-hour shift. Additionally, Ziel’s radio frequency technology is suitable for use in organic cannabis cultivation operations and preserves the enzymatic properties that make each cannabis strain unique.
“The RFX is the result of seven years of operational experience successfully processing hundreds of tons of flower using radio frequency technology in North America,” de Cordova said. “This expertise has been harnessed to create a sleek, compact design that runs on single phase power and delivers the highest throughput in the industry. All at the lowest processing cost per pound.”
The Ziel RFX is a collaboration between Ziel and STALAM, the world’s largest manufacturer of radio frequency equipment with installations in more than 70 countries. The exterior and user interface was designed by Ammunition Group, a global industrial design firm led by Robert Brunner, who was previously director of industrial design at Apple and launched that company’s design practice 30 years ago.
The proprietary process solutions offered by Ziel are the first ever patented for use in the treatment of cannabis using radio frequency technology for microbial reduction. Radio frequency is a thermal process that reverses the polarity of naturally occurring water molecules in agricultural products, including cannabis flower. Water molecules oscillate 27 million times per second, generating consistent, even volumetric heat that kills pathogens based on Ziel’s proprietary processing parameters.
To learn more about Ziel or the RFX, visitwww.ziel.com.