Quantification of Cannabinoids in Cannabis Oil Using GC/MS: Method Development, Validation, and Application to Commercially Available Preparations in Argentina

Abstract

The medicinal use of cannabis oil is increasing all over the world. Few analytical methods for the quantification of cannabinoids have been validated using internationally accredited guidelines. This work describes the development and validation of a selective and sensitive gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method for the qualitative analysis of the main cannabinoids, namely cannabidiolic acid, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid, cannabigerol, and cannabichromene as well as quantitative determination of cannabidiol, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabinol, present in cannabis oils. The method was fully validated according to Food and Drug Administration and International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. A linear range of 0.1–30 μg/mL was obtained for CBD and Δ9-THC and 0.034–11.7 μg/mL for CBN, presenting determination coefficients above 0.99. The lower limits of quantification ranged from 0.034 to 0.1 μg/mL. The intra- and inter-day precision, calculated in terms of relative standard deviation, were 3.9–13.8 and 4.7–14.1%, respectively. Extraction efficiency at lower limits of quantification was 95–103%. Verification of method validity was performed with authentic cannabis oil samples. To our knowledge, this is the first method available in Argentina, validated according to international guidelines, for quantification of CBD, Δ9-THC, and CBN in cannabis oil. The primary application of this method is to differentiate between cannabis oils with high or low content of Δ9-THC, CBD, or mixed Δ9-THC/CBD. This is of fundamental importance for the patient and so that the physicians can carry out a suitable therapy.

Cannabinoids—Characteristics and Potential for Use in Food Production

“…Both chocolate and hemp oil samples featured the highest CBD and ∆9-THC content among the analyzed products. In their research, Fernández et al [130] compared the contents of CBD, CBN, and ∆9-THC in hemp oils with a declared CBD content of 20 mg/mL (two samples) and in oils without any of the above, defined cannabinoids (eight samples), using GC-MS. In both oils, the CBD concentrations (22 mg/mL) were consistent with those declared by the manufacturer.…”

CBD oils on the Belgian market: A validated MRM GC-MS/MS method for routine quality control using QuEChERS sample clean up

“…Many analytical methods are described in the literature to quantify the CBD content in oil. The most common cannabinoid quantification techniques for this matrix include gas chromatography (GC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) [3,4] and liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to an UV or MS detector [5,6]. One of the important differences between LC and GC is the high column temperature required in GC, which produces a decarboxylation of the acidic form of CBD, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) [7].…”

Characterization of CBD oils, seized on the Belgian market, using infrared spectroscopy: Matrix identification and CBD determination, a proof of concept

“…5 Conventional methods used to quantify CBD in oils are chromatographic techniques including gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography coupled to an UV (LC-UV) or a mass spectrometric detector (LC-MS). [16][17][18][19] Although these methods are accurate and sensitive, they are slow and expensive and require a complete sample preparation without forgetting the requirement of trained personnel. 20 Mid-infrared (MIR) and near-infrared (NIR) analysis are non-destructive, fast, and green techniques and have been used across various fields.…”