An Analytical Study of Cannabinoids and Terpenes in Medicinal Cannabis

Cannabis sativa is approved for medical use in several countries in Europe. The focus has mainly been on Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and Cannabidiol (CBD). Today’s classification of different cultivars is based on the cannabinoid profile.

This study investigates if there is a correlation between the cannabinoid and terpene profiles in medical cannabis and thereby the possibility to predict a possible terpene profile based on the classification.

Six monoterpenes and eight cannabinoids are identified and quantified in 100 different cultivars of medical cannabis from a GMP medical cannabis production in Denmark. The 100 different cultivars are divided between five classes. The terpene profile is analysed by Gas Chromatography – Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) and the cannabinoid profile is analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography – Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD). The classification and correlation are analysed with two Principle Component Analysis (PCA) ([Fig. 1]).

Fig. 1 Score plot for cannabinoids explained by PC1 and PC2. Negative scores for PC1 represent total THC, positive scores for PC1 represent total CBD. Positive scores for PC2 represent total CBG.

The sample preparation method is validated by particle size and repeatability at%RSD at 10 [%]. The analytical instruments GC-FID and HPLC-DAD are optimized and validated by repeatability. The first PCA model made for the cannabinoid profile has two Principal components (PCs) and explains 65.09 [%] of the variation for the 100 samples.

The PCA model confirms two main classes of medical cannabis, a high total Δ9-THC class, and a high total CBD class. The second PCA model is made for terpene profile. There is no clear trend in the terpene profile; however the results indicate samples classified as the high total Δ9-THC class have a larger quantity of terpenes.

 

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Publication History

Article published online:
16 November 2023