Using Radio Frequency to Target Microbial Pathogens

One of the main issues in the cannabis industry is microbial content in cannabis products. Almost on a daily basis, one can see news outlets reporting on companies having their products recalled in various U.S. states. "A brand recall is death," says Arthur de Cordova, CEO and co-founder of زييل, a company specializing in targeting microbial pathogens. The company has its roots in the food industry, focusing on the nuts and seeds space, including almonds, chia seeds, sesame, and more. Ziel's solutions utilize radio frequency, a non-ionizing form of radiation, an organic-compliant process that is the complete opposite of the most common and potentially harmful treatment of ionizing radiation, such as X-ray and gamma.

From food to cannabis
But how did Ziel end up in cannabis? "Ten years ago, we were approached by a large operator out of Colorado," Arthur recounts. "They had just been notified by the state authority that they were going to implement microbial testing." With the cannabis industry taking its first timid steps, no solution existed yet in that space to address microbial concerns. On top of that, the farm Arthur is referring to was a large outdoor grower, so microbial content was certainly going to be a significant challenge. "Being in the food space, our machines require these long radio frequency tunnels with conveyor belts that process 2,000 lb an hour, which weren't particularly suitable for cannabis," he explains. "So, we developed a machine that would carry out batch processes. Our first-generation unit has been so effective that it is still in operation after ten years. A couple of years ago, in 2023, we launched a new-generation unit at MJBizCon."

Ziel's units are used not only in North America—both the U.S. and Canada—but also in major medical cannabis markets in Europe, such as Portugal, Germany, and even North Macedonia. Given the different regulatory environments in Europe and North America, Arthur is well aware of how complicated navigating these waters can be. "Microbial testing in Europe and the U.S. is obviously very different," he explains. "It is made even more complicated in the U.S. because cannabis is not federally legal, meaning that there are no standardized testing requirements, and each state has developed its own guidelines regarding the maximum allowable microbial content. There are mainly three pathogens tested in every state: Aspergillus, Salmonella, and E. coli. Beyond these three, each state can add on additional microbial tests such as total yeast and mold, coliforms, and total aerobic counts. Passing microbial testing keeps growers up at night."

Testing in the US
This complexity in the U.S. has led Ziel to develop tailored recipes for radio frequency decontamination specific to the state in which a grower operates. "If a grower comes to us saying that they are going to grow in California, we have recipes for those specific microbials. If someone is in Michigan, we review the regulations and provide the grower with the appropriate decontamination recipes."

But how does the machine work? In the US cannabis industry, decontamination is commonly performed using X-rays, which could potentially be harmful to consumers. X-Ray uses an ionizing radiation, which has been criticized over the years by both state authorities and consumers due to the uncertain health effects they may have. On the other end of the radio wave spectrum is radio frequency, a non-ionizing radiation technology, organic-compliant process that is scientifically proven to have no adverse effects on either the product or the consumer.

To operate the Ziel unit, the operator places up to 5 lb cannabis flowers in Ziel's compliant bag and inserts the bag into the machine. Inside, an electromagnetic field is created, and radio frequencies penetrate deep into the flower, eliminating microbial content. Radio frequency is a thermal process; however, Ziel's unit is designed in such a way that the heat does not damage the cannabis flower. That's why, according to the standard operating procedure (SOP), the bag of flowers must be opened once removed from the machine and then transferred into another bag, allowing the flower temperature to drop without damaging the product. "To kill the most heat tolerant pathogens, the temperature may need to reach 95 degrees Celsius," Arthur explains. "However, it doesn't need to remain at that temperature for long. Our machine reaches it for a split second, ensuring the targeted microbes are destroyed while preserving product integrity. On top of that, our SOPs ensure that cannabis flowers remain top quality while also passing state testing." The Ziel radio frequency process takes 15 minutes to complete a cycle, which, according to Arthur, is five times faster than performing the same process with an X-Ray machine.

Testing in Europe
In Europe, the situation is different. The EU oversees the medical cannabis space, with grow facilities meeting EU-GACP requirements and EU-GMP for post-harvest processors. Testing standards are the same for every grower operating in Europe. However, the key difference is that every batch does not need to be tested each time. Instead, the production process itself undergoes validation and must demonstrate that it delivers consistent and repeatable results. While audits occur every six months, this approach is certainly more efficient than in the U.S., where growers must pay independent labs to test their products constantly. "It takes longer to set up a business in Europe because you have to go through all those validation processes. However, once you are set up, running a medical cannabis operation in Europe is more cost-efficient." Having validation processes such as GACP and GMP does not necessarily mean that a specific machine is GMP-certified. Rather, a GMP validated facility applies to the documented equipment and corresponding SOPs of that facility. "Our units installed in European GMP facilities have all received their GMP certification," Arthur explains. "When we collaborate with European growers, we also provide GMP documentation to streamline their GMP application process—it's a standard procedure for equipment in the pharmaceutical industry."

Another unique feature of Ziel's unit is its online dashboard. "We are data-driven people," says Arthur. "All the machine data from cycles run in our machines is recorded and saved in the cloud. We then reconcile that data against the returned Certificates of Analysis." This feature is particularly crucial for growers cultivating dozens of different strains, as not all strains react the same way to decontamination. "Regardless of the decontamination process a grower uses, every strain may behave differently. For instance, one strain may be more sensitive to decarboxylation, or it may even fail state testing. That's why we have implemented this data-gathering feature, coupled with our online dashboard, where

growers can track everything that happens during our radio frequency-based decontamination. We also support them in improving a recipe if they notice that a specific strain requires adjustments compared to other strains they grow."

With the cannabis market rapidly evolving, Ziel is fully committed to serving cannabis growers, especially in the growing European market. "We are well prepared for what's to come in the EU," Arthur points out. "We are investing more resources there to better serve the European medical cannabis space with safe and organic-compliant decontamination solutions."

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