Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the cannabis extract obtained from cannabis flowers that contain the maximum allowed level of mycotoxins affects human safety and health. For that purpose, a novel liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A (OchA) in cannabis extracts to demonstrate that this analytical method is suitable for the intended experimental design.Methods: Experimental design was done by adding maximum allowed concentration of aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, G2) and OchA according to the European Pharmacopeia related to cannabis flowers. The concentration of aflatoxins and OchA was determined using the same LC/MS/MS analytical method in the starting material (dry flower) before preparing the spiked sample and after obtaining decarboxylated extract with ethanol 96%.Results: The results obtained indicate that aflatoxins and OchA, primarily added to the cannabis dried flowers, were also determined into the obtained final extract in amounts much higher (m/m) than in the starting plant material.Conclusion: With this experiment, we have shown that mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins, which are extremely toxic secondary metabolites, can reach critical values in cannabis extracts obtained from dry cannabis flowers with the maximum allowed quantity of mycotoxins. This can pose a great risk to consumers and their health especially to those with compromised immune systems.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the terpenoid profile in dried cannabis flowers obtained from different varieties of cannabis plant and in cannabis extracts in order to investigate quantity of terpenes lost during extraction and purification process. Methods: GC/MS method for determination of terpenes was verified. The concentration of terpenes was determined in dry flowers as raw material and in decarboxylated and distillated cannabis extracts, using the same GC/MS analytical method. The extraction was performed using 96% ethanol as a solvent. Results: The obtained results indicate that dry cannabis flowers from different cannabis plant can be distinguished only by their terpenoid profile. The use of standardized cannabis-based extracts can be confirmed by determination of terpenoid profile. The purification process of the cannabis extracts removes terpenes. The percentage of major terpen beta-Myrcene decreased from 68% in dry flower to 15% in decarboxylated and, 1.9% in distillated cannabis oil after purification. The percentage of second major terpene alpha-Pinene decreased from 15% in dry flower to 5% in decarboxylated and, 0.7% in distillated cannabis oil after purification. Conclusion: Terpenes act synergistically with cannabinoids. Following the monograph for quality testing of cannabis extracts in the German Pharmacopoeia, the purification process is necessary to achieve a final concentration of cannabinoids (Tetrahydrocannabinol) of more than 95% in the final active pharmaceutical ingredient. The purification process removes terpenes that have proven synergistically pharmacological effects with cannabinoids.

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