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. 2023 Dec 8;28(24):8008.
doi: 10.3390/molecules28248008.

The Development, Validation, and Application of a UHPLC-HESI-MS Method for the Determination of 17 Cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. var. sativa Plant Material

Joanna Kanabus  1 , Marcin Bryła  1 , Marek Roszko  1
Affiliations

The Development, Validation, and Application of a UHPLC-HESI-MS Method for the Determination of 17 Cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa L. var. sativa Plant Material

Joanna Kanabus et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Cannabinoids are an important group of secondary metabolites found in the plant Cannabis sativa L. The growing interest in the use of hemp in food production (e.g., hemp teas, hemp cookies) makes it necessary to develop a method for determining these compounds in the plant, both fresh and dried. The selection of a suitable extraction liquid for the extraction of cannabinoids and the development of a method for the determination of 17 cannabinoids is a prelude to the development of an effective method for the extraction of these compounds. In the present study, a novel, simple, and efficient method was developed and validated for the determination of up to 17 cannabinoids in fresh plant parts (inflorescences and leaves) of Cannabis sativa L. and in dried material, including hemp teas. Analyses were performed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Q-Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry setup operating with a heated electrospray interface (UHPLC-HESI-MS). Based on the comparison, methanol was selected as the best for the extraction of cannabinoids from fresh and dried material. The efficiency and validity of the method were assessed using certified reference material (dried Cannabis) and confirmed by z-score from participation in an international proficiency test conducted by ASTM International for dried hemp.

Keywords: Cannabis sativa L.; UHPLC-HESI-MS; cannabinoids; hemp tea; validation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of extracted content of cannabinoids using different solvents from different parts of plant Cannabis sativa L. var. sativa (S—small inflorescences; M—medium inflorescences; B—big inflorescences) and leaves. a−k—symbol indicates a statistically significant result; n = 3.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comparison of the extracted sum of 17 cannabinoids using different solvents from CRM (HEMP-1). a–e—symbol indicates a statistically significant result; n = 3.
Figure 3
Figure 3
UHPLC-HESI-MS chromatogram of 17 cannabinoids in a calibration standard concentration of 10 μg mL−1 for each cannabinoid.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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