34 August / September 2019
Gradient HPLC-UV Method for Cannabinoid Profiling
by Edward Franklin, Ph.D. and Melissa Wilcox
Affiliation: Regis Technologies, 8210 Austin Ave, Morton Grove, IL 60053
www.registech.com
The global cannabis industry is growing rapidly, with many countries and US states adding regulatory frameworks for medical and recreational cannabis programs [1,2]. Quality control is an essential component in protecting the health and safety of the consumer in this emerging market, and there is increasing demand upon cannabis testing laboratories for analytical determination of multiple cannabinoids along with potential contaminants such as pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, etc. Current regulations surrounding potency vary by jurisdiction, but usually require testing for the active forms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). In addition, many require testing for the acid forms, tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), along with other cannabinoids like cannabigerol (CBG), cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabicyclol (CBL), and cannabinol (CBN). As regulations evolve, and as research interests in minor cannabinoids expand, it is important to have robust analytical methods in place that are capable of meeting those needs.
Historically, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has been used for the separation and quantification of cannabinoids and other compounds of interest in cannabis analysis. With GC, though, care must be taken to avoid decarboxylation of acidic species during
the heated injection. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods permit analysts to eschew many sample preparation and derivatisation steps and have become the preferred approaches to cannabis potency analysis [3,4,5].
In general, all approaches to HPLC method development look to balance several elements, among which are the ultimate goals of the analysis, resolution of target compounds and potential interferences, speed, and assay robustness.
Figure 1: Molecular structures of the 17 cannabinoids separated in this application.
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