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. 2024 May 31;9(23):25390-25394.
doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c03897. eCollection 2024 Jun 11.

HPLC Method for Better Separation of THC Isomers to Ensure Safety and Compliance in the Hemp Market

Monica K Pittiglio  1 , Giovanni A Ramirez  1 , Tesfay T Tesfatsion  1 , Kyle P Ray  1 , Westley Cruces  1
Affiliations

HPLC Method for Better Separation of THC Isomers to Ensure Safety and Compliance in the Hemp Market

Monica K Pittiglio et al. ACS Omega. .

Abstract

The 2018 Farm Bill dictates that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) concentrations must not exceed 0.3% in hemp and hemp-derived products in order to be "compliant." This narrow margin of error necessitates very precise testing methods throughout every facet of the hemp industry. Though gas chromatography has become the industry's gold standard, many hemp laboratories still use high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to quantify cannabinoids, and thus there exists a need for HPLC methods that can separate delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC) and Δ9-THC-a notoriously difficult task. This article details one such method, while simultaneously acknowledging the inevitable limits of using HPLC to separate cannabinoids. The method was also used to test Δ8-THC samples that were marketed as compliant, and it was found that all of the samples contained well over 0.3% Δ9-THC. The use of refined testing methodologies is crucial for hemp companies to ensure compliance, prevent adverse health effects, and provide consumers with accurate cannabinoid profiles of the products that they purchase.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare the following competing financial interest(s): GAR, MKP, and TTT are employees of Colorado Chromatography Labs. WC and KPR are founders of Colorado Chromatography Labs.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
HPLC chromatogram that shows baseline resolution of the Δ9-THC and Δ8-THC isomers in a 500 ppm of CRM standard run using the developed methodology.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HPLC chromatogram of an eight-cannabinoid, 500 ppm of CRM standard run using the developed methodology.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Overlaid HPLC chromatograms of the four supposedly complaint distillate samples. The black arrows denote Δ9-THC, and the blue arrows denote Δ8-THC.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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