Cannabis Analysis

Chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques alike were reviewed for their current effectiveness and future potential in this lecture session at Analytica 2024.

The 26th Norwegian Symposium on Chromatography was held 21–23 January 2024. The symposium has strong traditions in the Norwegian separation science community, serving as a forum for excellent scientific talks, networking, and social events.

In a study from Cornell University, scientists created a new means of identifying hemp plants that can exclusively create cannabidiol (CBD).

A novel LC–MS/MS method, with a dual ESI and APCI source using simple solvent extraction for sample preparation, was validated for analysis of 102 pesticides and 5 mycotoxins regulated by Colorado state in dried hemp.

Brandy Young, PhD, an analytical chemist with more than 15 years of experience, entered the cannabis industry in response to a recognized need for laboratory testing, aligning her expertise with the emerging demand in New York's active medical and adult-use cannabis programs. Here, she shares some background information on her Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) talk, which delves into the characterization of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) isomers in cannabis products.

At the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) in Plainsboro, NJ, Rabi Musah from the State University of Albany presented a talk titled, "Things WE’ED Like to Avoid - Circumventing Measurement Challenges When Analyzing Complex Cannabis Matrices". This presentation discussed the complexities of cannabis testing and why we need new methods in the industry.

At EAS 2023, Brandy Young, PhD, the CEO and Founder of Certainty Analytical Labs in New York, discussed her work in compliance testing for cannabis products.

At the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) in Plainsboro, NJ, Sam Heckle, an analytical chemist from CEM Corporation, presented “The Importance of Digestion Temperature on Trace Metals Analysis”, where he discussed the do’s and don’ts of heavy metal analysis meant to get optimal digestion.

To measure a method’s environmental friendliness and its sustainability, one must consider its productivity and analytical performance.

At the Cannabis Sciences Conference, Zacariah Hildenbrand held a talk which focused on various analytical methods and how they affect the cannabis production process.

Orange Photonics said the agency will use its LightLab 3 as part of a broader effort to regulate and test the safety of food-related cannabis products.

Webinar Date/Time: Thu, Jun 22, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

Webinar Date/Time: Airing 1: Thursday June 15, 2023 at 10am EDT | 3pm BST | 4pm CEST Airing 2: Thursday June 15, 2023 at 1pm EDT | 12pm CDT | 10am PDT

The current challenges and future perspectives of the purification of cannabinoids from cannabis extracts are presented in this review article.

Webinar Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb 15th and Thursday, Feb 16th, 2023 Day 1: 9:00 am EST – 2:45 pm EST Day 2: 8:30 am EST – 4:30 pm EST

Register now for a virtual symposium with presentations on Building a Cannabis Lab, Product Safety, Product Quality, Best Practices and Advanced Topics, and an interactive Certificate-Based Cannabis Testing Master Class session.

HPLC is emerging as the preferred analytical method for potency testing of cannabinoids, but fundamental work is needed to solve critical issues and contribute to advancing knowledge.

Given the excitement surrounding the “green rush,” it is worth stepping back to examine the trends and nuances of the cannabis testing environment.

The phenomenon known as the “green rush” outpaces all significant analytical market areas. Given all this excitement, it is worth stepping back to examine the overarching trends and nuances of the cannabis testing environment and offer some opinions about the key players and disruptive technologies gaining traction throughout this burgeoning marketplace.

A simple ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC−HRMS/MS) method to determine seventeen phytocannabinoids was developed and validated for Cannabis plants, resins and their extracts, and oils. The analysis was challenging because of the complexity of matrices, the large differences in the concentration of phytocannabinoids and their pattern in various cultivars, and the structural similarity of these analytes.

With the era of new complex drug products there is an increasing demand on multivariate modelling tools to integrate robust analytical method design, facilitate efficient and science-based change management, and improve communication between regulators and industry. Mechanistic models provide several advantages in terms of modelling efficiency, versatility, and high predictive power. The following case study will demonstrate a robust method design for industrial Cannabis sativa.

Quantification of cannabinoids is essential for the accurate labelling of hemp products, both for quality control and for establishing legality with regards to d9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content. For this article, the cannabinoid content of several cannabidiol (CBD)-rich hemp tea samples was determined and was found to often deviate from the content stated on the packaging. Just like the cannabis flower, hemp tea can be analyzed easily and effectively for its cannabinoid content using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC–UV assay of choice provided good linearity, low limits of detection (LODs), and high precision of retention time and peak area for the 11 cannabinoids under investigation.

The cannabis industry has been taking a hard look at the science behind their products and the various contaminants that can inadvertently be added to consumer goods. As testing laboratories begin to implement new state-mandated regulations and other consensus methods for best practices, there is a need to review the analytical instruments and methods that can deliver the most accurate results in a timely fashion. Anthony Macherone, senior scientist at Agilent Technologies and visiting scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, recently spoke to us about his research in this area and the chromatographic techniques he has found to be most effective for profiling cannabinoids and terpenes, detecting pesticides, and residual solvents testing.

The medicinal qualities of cannabinoids contained in hemp have been described in detail. Pain mitigation and reduced severity of nausea and seizures are just a few of the therapeutic benefits reported by medical cannabis patients. There is evidence that a combination of CBD, a host of other minor cannabinoids, and a complex array of terpenoids as contained in hemp oil may be the most beneficial, which is why CBD-rich oil for oral intake has become increasingly popular. The FDA has issued warning letters to firms that market unapproved new drugs allegedly containing CBD. As part of these actions, the cannabinoid content of some hemp products was determined and many were found to contain levels of CBD largely deviating from the label claim. Like cannabis, hemp oil can be analyzed easily and effectively for its cannabinoid content. This article highlights the use of a fast and simple HPLC–UV assay for separation and quantification of 11 important cannabinoids, including CBD in hemp oil.

The presence of capable students and researchers, each with a technical niche to offer, prepares us for future opportunities. On top of that structure, we also aim to maintain this mindset for our instrument selection before beginning projects. The installment of core labs at UT Arlington (www.uta.edu/sirt), making a wide range of instruments available to all research groups, has allowed our students to brainstorm about which instrument is the most appropriate for a specific analysis rather than how to make a measurement work with a given instrument.

As a result of the rapid growth of the cannabis industry, many testing laboratories are looking for efficient, reliable, and cost-effective analytical methods to analyze chemical residues, such as pesticides, mycotoxins, solvent residues, terpenes, and heavy metals, as well as cannabinoid concentration in cannabis-infused edibles and beverages. In this article, QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe), a sample preparation technique widely adopted in the food testing industry, is introduced to the discipline of forensic testing as a viable method for the extraction of pesticides and cannabinoids in various complex sample matrices. The claimed amounts of cannabinoids versus the actual amounts are compared, as well as the pesticide residue levels in edible and beverage samples.

Giuseppe Cannazza and Cinzia Citti from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia discuss the growing interest in the use of medicinal cannabis in Europe and the analytical challenges involved.

A primary impediment to cannabinoid research is the fact that materials possessing psychoactive Δ-9-tetrathydrocannabinol are considered Schedule I drugs as defined in the U.S. Controlled Substances Act. An alternative source of cannabinoids may be found in hemp oil extracts. Hemp contains a low percentage of Δ-9-tetrathydrocannabinol (THC) by weight but relatively high amounts of non-psychoactive cannabinoids. The liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF) method presented herein allows for the accurate, precise and robust speciation, profiling and quantification of cannabinoids in hemp oil extracts and commercial cannabinoid products for research and development laboratories. The method was determined to chromatographically separate 11 cannabinoids including differentiation of Δ-8-tetrahdrocannabinol and THC with excellent linear dynamic range, specificity and sensitivity.

As the legalization of medicinal cannabis continues to sweep across the United States, an urgent need has developed for fast, accurate and efficient analytical testing. In addition to testing for contaminants and potency, there is also interest in the determination of terpene identity and concentration levels present in different strains of cannabis. Terpenes have been shown to have therapeutic uses for treatment of different medical conditions ranging from cancer and inflammation, to anxiety and sleeplessness. It is believed that the combination of terpenes and cannabinoids in cannabis produce a synergistic effect with regards to medical benefits. The traditional testing method for terpenes in plant materials involves a solvent-based extraction followed by GC analysis. In this work, headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) was used to identify and quantify terpene content in cannabis. The HS-SPME method provided several advantages over solvent extraction in that it provided a cleaner analysis, free of interferences from co-extracted matrix, and was non-destructive to the sample. A cannabis sample of unknown origin was first analyzed qualitatively by HS-SPME and GC-MS. Spectral library matching and retention indices were used to identify 42 different terpenes. Quantitative analysis was then performed for several selected terpenes using spiked samples. Method accuracy was >90%, with reproducibility of