A Multimethodological Characterization of Cannabis sativa L. Inflorescences from Seven Dioecious Cultivars Grown in Italy: The Effect of Different Harvesting Stages

Abstract

The chemical profile of the female inflorescence extracts from seven Cannabis sativa L. dioecious cultivars (Carmagnola, Fibranova, Eletta Campana, Antal, Tiborszallasi, Kompolti, and Tisza) was monitored at three harvesting stages (4, 14, and 30 September), reaching from the beginning of flowering to end of flowering/beginning of seed formation, using untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and targeted (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and spectrophotometry) analyses. The tetrahydrocannabinol content was always below the legal limits (<0.6%) in all the analyzed samples. The NMR metabolite profile (sugars, organic acids, amino acids, and minor compounds) subjected to principal components analysis (PCA) showed a strong variability according to the harvesting stages: samples harvested in stage I were characterized by a high content of sucrose and myo-inositol, whereas the ones harvested in stage II showed high levels of succinic acid, alanine, valine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, and threonine. Samples harvested in stage III were characterized by high levels of glucose, fructose, choline, trigonelline, malic acid, formic acid, and some amino acids. The ratio between chlorophylls and carotenoids content indicated that all plants grew up exposed to the sun, the Eletta Campana cultivar having the highest pigment amount. Tiborszallasi cultivar showed the highest polyphenol content. The highest antioxidant activity was generally observed in stage II. All these results suggested that the Cannabis sativa L. inflorescences of each analyzed dioecious hemp cultivar presented a peculiar chemical profile affected by the harvesting stage. This information could be useful for producers and industries to harvest inflorescences in the appropriate stage to obtain samples with a peculiar chemical profile suitable for proper applications.

Cannabinoids—Characteristics and Potential for Use in Food Production

“…Ingallina et al [26] also demonstrated a decrease in the content of flavonoids during inflorescence maturation. Spano et al [27] showed an increase in the content of polyphenic compounds in the first and second phase of inflorescence maturation. The decrease in the content of this group of compounds took place at the end of maturation.…”

“…C. sativa L. var. sativa seeds are characterized by a high fiber (27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) g/100 g), fat (25-35 g/100 g), protein (21-28 g/100 g), and carbohydrate (20-30 g/100 g) content.…”

Cannabinoid Profile in Cannabis sativa L. Samples by Means of LC-MRM/IDA/EPI Analysis: A New Approach for Cultivar Classification

“…Instead, as regards to the new cannabinoids, these cultivars have a high concentration of the new CBDB, which can allow numerous investigations of their biological activity due to its high affinity with the human receptor CB1 . Compared to the published studies, Tiborzallasi cultivar showed the presence of cannabinoids partially detected by Basas-Jaumandreu et al, such as CBDV, THC-C6, and THCP (two isomers), and cannabinoids never detected such as CBD-C6, CBDPA, and sesqui-CBGA, a cannabinoid–terpene compound . Moreover, Fibranova and Ferimon cultivars were also rich in other cannabinoid–terpene compounds, such as sesqui-CBDA ester and γ Eudismil CBDA ester, responsible for the “entourage effect” that contributed to important biological activity in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders .…”

“…Finally, the Antal cultivar presents the THC compounds, such as THCA, THC-C4, the new THCBA, and the CBGMA; in the literature, few studies described a wide cannabinoid profile, usually limited to most known cannabinoids. , …”

Metabolomic Profiling of Fresh Goji (Lycium barbarum L.) Berries from Two Cultivars Grown in Central Italy: A Multi-Methodological Approach

“…Total carotenoids and chlorophylls were analyzed in the peel and pulp of the Goji berry varieties by using a previously described protocol [ 45 ]. In particular, the peel was cut from the surface of the fruits and carefully freed from the pulp.…”