Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul 26;94(29):10435-10442.
doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01629. Epub 2022 Jul 18.

Rapid In Situ Detection of THC and CBD in Cannabis sativa L. by 1064 nm Raman Spectroscopy

Stefania Porcu  1 , Enrica Tuveri  2 , Marco Palanca  2 , Claudia Melis  2 , Ignazio Macellaro La Franca  2 , Jessica Satta  1 , Daniele Chiriu  1 , Carlo Maria Carbonaro  1 , Pierluigi Cortis  3 , Antonio De Agostini  3 , Pier Carlo Ricci  1
Affiliations

Rapid In Situ Detection of THC and CBD in Cannabis sativa L. by 1064 nm Raman Spectroscopy

Stefania Porcu et al. Anal Chem. .

Abstract

The need to find a rapid and worthwhile technique for the in situ detection of the content of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in Cannabis sativa L. is an ever-increasing problem in the forensic field. Among all the techniques for the detection of cannabinoids, Raman spectroscopy can be identified as the most cost-effective, fast, noninvasive, and nondestructive. In this study, 42 different samples were analyzed using Raman spectroscopy with 1064 nm excitation wavelength. The use of an IR wavelength laser showed the possibility to clearly identify THC and CBD in fresh samples, without any further processing, knocking out the contribution of the fluorescence generated by visible and near-IR sources. The results allow assigning all the Raman features in THC- and CBD-rich natural samples. The multivariate analysis underlines the high reproducibility of the spectra and the possibility to distinguish immediately the Raman spectra of the two cannabinoid species. Furthermore, the ratio between the Raman bands at 1295/1440 and 1623/1663 cm-1 is identified as an immediate test parameter to evaluate the THC content in the samples.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1. Subclasses of Cannabinoids Mainly Present in Cannabis Plants
Figure 1
Figure 1
Raman spectrum of fresh inflorescence with 785 nm excitation wavelength.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Raman spectra of CBD- and THC-rich plants, collected using 1064 nm laser excitation (sample 6 and sample 26, respectively in Table 1).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Optical microscopy images of CBD- and THC-rich plants.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Raman spectrum of leaves collected using 1064 nm laser excitation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Principal component for the THC-rich plants compared with a single spectrum of a plant of the same family.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Principal component for the CBD-rich plants compared with a single spectrum of a plant of the same family.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Mean of the ratio between 1295/1440 and 1623/1663 cm–1 peaks for the THC-rich samples.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Mean of the ratio between 1295/1440 and 1623/1663 cm–1 peaks for the CBD-rich samples.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Comparison of Raman spectra of ground mixed sample and fresh inflorescence.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Kriese U.; Schumann E.; Weber W. E.; Beyer M.; Brühl L.; Matthäus B. Oil Content, Tocopherol Composition and Fatty Acid Patterns of the Seeds of 51 Cannabis Sativa L. Genotypes. Euphytica 2004, 137, 339–351. 10.1023/B:EUPH.0000040473.23941.76. - DOI
    1. Satriani A.; Loperte A.; Pascucci S. The Cultivation of Industrial Hemp as Alternative Crop in a Less-Favoured Agricultural Area in Southern Italy: The Pignola Case Study. Pollutants 2021, 1, 169–180. 10.3390/pollutants1030014. - DOI
    1. Jiang H. E.; Li X.; Zhao Y. X.; Ferguson D. K.; Hueber F.; Bera S.; Wang Y. F.; Zhao L. C.; Liu C. J.; Li C.; Sen A. New Insight into Cannabis Sativa (Cannabaceae) Utilization from 2500-Year-Old Yanghai Tombs, Xinjiang, China. J. Ethnopharmacol. 2006, 108, 414–422. 10.1016/j.jep.2006.05.034. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andre C. M.; Hausman J. F.; Guerriero G. Cannabis Sativa: The Plant of the Thousand and One Molecules. Front. Plant Sci. 2016, 7, 1–17. 10.3389/fpls.2016.00019. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pertwee R. G. Emerging Strategies for Exploiting Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists as Medicines. Br. J. Pharmacol. 2009, 156, 397–411. 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2008.00048.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed