Analysis of Cannabinoids in Oil

Introduction: Cannabinoids are bioactive molecules found abundantly in the cannabis plant, with two major cannabinoids being Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol. Method: The study was divided into three phases: (1) systematic literature search on the analysis of cannabinoids in oils, (2)...

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Main Authors: Janis Vella Szijj, Lovely L. Gallo, Paul I. Buhagiar, Karolina Szyrner, Nicolette Sammut Bartolo, Simone Ronsisvalle, Anthony Serracino Inglott, Lilian M. Azzopardi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mary Ann Liebert 2024-03-01
Series:Integrative Medicine Reports
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Online Access:https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/imr.2024.0019
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author Janis Vella Szijj
Lovely L. Gallo
Paul I. Buhagiar
Karolina Szyrner
Nicolette Sammut Bartolo
Simone Ronsisvalle
Anthony Serracino Inglott
Lilian M. Azzopardi
author_facet Janis Vella Szijj
Lovely L. Gallo
Paul I. Buhagiar
Karolina Szyrner
Nicolette Sammut Bartolo
Simone Ronsisvalle
Anthony Serracino Inglott
Lilian M. Azzopardi
author_sort Janis Vella Szijj
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Cannabinoids are bioactive molecules found abundantly in the cannabis plant, with two major cannabinoids being Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol. Method: The study was divided into three phases: (1) systematic literature search on the analysis of cannabinoids in oils, (2) development and validation of a rapid and efficient high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultraviolet (UV) method for the determination of THC in medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, and (iii) green assessment of methods for the determination of cannabinoids in oil. Results: Articles identified describe the analysis of cannabinoids in olive oil and hemp oil. Regarding the developed and validated method for analysis of THC in MCT oil, separation was achieved using an ACE C18-AR (250 × 4.6 mm; 5 µm) column with acetonitrile and 0.5% acetic acid (70:30, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 2 mL/min. The analysis was conducted in isocratic mode with UV detection set at 220 nm. Injection volume was 10 µL. The method was validated in the linear range of 0.03125–0.5%. The method developed in this study was found to have equivalent greenness to other HPLC-UV methods reported in the literature. Discussion: The method has acceptable accuracy, precision, and stability, is relatively green, and can be successfully applied to determine concentrations of THC in commercially available cannabinoid-containing oils where the allowed limit of THC is 0.2–0.3%.
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spelling doaj-art-fb6bc6b0fdf9442cbd4d67133b0fbe832025-08-20T02:30:31ZengMary Ann LiebertIntegrative Medicine Reports2768-32222024-03-013112213110.1089/imr.2024.0019Analysis of Cannabinoids in OilJanis Vella Szijj0Lovely L. Gallo1Paul I. Buhagiar2Karolina Szyrner3Nicolette Sammut Bartolo4Simone Ronsisvalle5Anthony Serracino Inglott6Lilian M. Azzopardi7Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.Department of Drug and Health Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.Introduction: Cannabinoids are bioactive molecules found abundantly in the cannabis plant, with two major cannabinoids being Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol. Method: The study was divided into three phases: (1) systematic literature search on the analysis of cannabinoids in oils, (2) development and validation of a rapid and efficient high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultraviolet (UV) method for the determination of THC in medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil, and (iii) green assessment of methods for the determination of cannabinoids in oil. Results: Articles identified describe the analysis of cannabinoids in olive oil and hemp oil. Regarding the developed and validated method for analysis of THC in MCT oil, separation was achieved using an ACE C18-AR (250 × 4.6 mm; 5 µm) column with acetonitrile and 0.5% acetic acid (70:30, v/v) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 2 mL/min. The analysis was conducted in isocratic mode with UV detection set at 220 nm. Injection volume was 10 µL. The method was validated in the linear range of 0.03125–0.5%. The method developed in this study was found to have equivalent greenness to other HPLC-UV methods reported in the literature. Discussion: The method has acceptable accuracy, precision, and stability, is relatively green, and can be successfully applied to determine concentrations of THC in commercially available cannabinoid-containing oils where the allowed limit of THC is 0.2–0.3%.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/imr.2024.0019cannabinoidsTHCMCT oilHPLC-UVmethod validationgreenness assessment
spellingShingle Janis Vella Szijj
Lovely L. Gallo
Paul I. Buhagiar
Karolina Szyrner
Nicolette Sammut Bartolo
Simone Ronsisvalle
Anthony Serracino Inglott
Lilian M. Azzopardi
Analysis of Cannabinoids in Oil
Integrative Medicine Reports
cannabinoids
THC
MCT oil
HPLC-UV
method validation
greenness assessment
title Analysis of Cannabinoids in Oil
title_full Analysis of Cannabinoids in Oil
title_fullStr Analysis of Cannabinoids in Oil
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of Cannabinoids in Oil
title_short Analysis of Cannabinoids in Oil
title_sort analysis of cannabinoids in oil
topic cannabinoids
THC
MCT oil
HPLC-UV
method validation
greenness assessment
url https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/imr.2024.0019
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