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Oct 15, 2019 | Blogs, Food / Beverage | 0 comments
One question I get asked a lot when it comes to cannabis, specifically regarding marijuana and hemp analysis, is: There are so many techniques to choose from, how do I know which one is best?
I can’t emphasize enough that the Cannabis sativa plant has a complex biological profile with hundreds of chemical entities at varying concentrations. These include both cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Because of the complexity of the samples, cannabis labs should consider employing an instrument system that can handle multiple workflows, such as those for potency analysis, pesticide testing, mycotoxin analysis and terpenes profiling. The system also needs to isolate and identify as many compounds as possible and to detect very low concentrations (in the parts per million or parts per billion range).
Before I continue, I should say that there is no perfect method for cannabis testing. Different technologies can impact the quality of your data. One approach can be more effective than another. It depends on the needs of your laboratory. Nevertheless, the characteristics of an ideal analytical technique remain the same: high sensitivity, selectivity, and specificity.
Let’s explore well-known techniques used to analyze marijuana and hemp for pesticides, potency, mycotoxins and terpenes.
Sample separation strategies
Quantitative methods
So, my answer to the original question is that the best method involves using HPLC with a dual-detector combination of UV and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to analyze cannabinoids. It is a highly effective approach. Check out this technical note our team put together that demonstrates this approach to quantifying cannabinoids in marijuana and hemp.
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