Determination of Cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa Oil and Infused Ice Cream by LC-DAD Method

Background: Cannabis sativa is known to produce a class of terpenophenolic compounds named cannabinoids. The two main ones are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which have therapeutic properties. In the development of cannabis-based preparations, it is important to have suitable analytical methods for the analysis of the principal cannabinoids.Objective: This study aimed to develop and validate a simple and rapid HPLC method with photodiode array detection for determination of CBD and THC in Cannabis sativa oil extract and infused ice cream, including a stability study.Method: Chromatographic separation of CBD and THC was performed with a C18 column, with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water with formic acid (80 + 20 v/v) in isocratic elution mode, with detection at 208 nm for CBD and 280 nm for THC and 1.0 mL/min flow rate.Results: The method was linear over a range of 1-5 mu g/mL for CBD, and 20-100 mu g/mL for THC; the relative standard deviation was <3.6%, the recovery ranged between 98.8 and 102.5% for oil and between 84 and 94% for ice cream, QL was 0.33 mu g/mL for CBD and 2.30 mu g/mL for THC, and the assay demonstrated adequate selectivity. CBD and THC were stable for at least 28 days under light protection at 22degree celsius, 4degree celsius, and -20degree celsius in the oil and for at least 60 days at -20degree celsius in the ice cream.Conclusions: The results showed that the method was suitable for quantitative determination of CBD and THC in Cannabis sativa oil extract and infused ice cream, and it is useful for quality control purposes.Highlights: The method is simple and fast, and it is useful for the quality control of a new product corresponding to an ice cream based on a Cannabis sativa oil extract.

Automated summary

This study developed and validated a simple and rapid HPLC method for the determination of CBD and THC in cannabis beverages and ice cream. The method demonstrated good stability and can be useful for quality control purposes.