Contents of Cannabinoids in Hemp Varieties Grown in Maryland

Abstract

Coincident with the cannabis legalization and the increased interest in the medicinal use of the plant, the cannabis marketplace and farming have seen tremendous growth. It is reported that there are more than 2000 cannabis varieties available to customers. However, the data that is available to the growers and breeders regarding the cannabinoid contents of various varieties remains low. Here, a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous separation and determination of 11 cannabinoids. A total of 104 hemp bud materials belonging to 20 varieties were collected from farms in the state of Maryland and analyzed with the HPLC method. The contents of the 11 cannabinoids in various varieties were compared and discussed, highlighting the varieties that showed a high yield of cannabinoids and good consistency that are more appropriate for cannabinoid production.

Progress in the analysis of phytocannabinoids by HPLC and UPLC (or UHPLC) during 2020–2023

“…Botanically, an inflorescence is defined as a cymose panicle, formed in the axil of the leaves on several stem segments. Chen et al 33 achieved simultaneous separation and identification of CBC (1), CBD (5), CBDA (6), CBDV (18), CBG (8), CBGA (9), CBN (10), Δ 8 -THC (13), Δ 9 -THC ( 14), Δ 9 -THCA (15), and THCV (16) MeOH, the order of elution of these phytocannabinoids was as follows (as detected by DAD set at 220 nm): CBDV (18), THCV (16), CBD (5), CBG (8), CBDA (6), CBGA (9), CBN (10), Δ 9 -THC ( 14), Δ 8 -THC (13), CBC (1), and Δ 9 -THCA (15). CBDV (18) was the first eluted at $5 min, while Δ 9 -THCA (15) was the last to come off the column (t R = $17 min).…”

“…Since the publication of the review article 2 on the application of HPLC and UPLC (or UHPLC) methods in the analysis of phytocannabinoids covering the period of 2010–2019, several publications have appeared in the literature on this topic 12–185 . All these publications highlight the importance of HPLC and UPLC (or UHPLC) techniques as well as showcase remarkable advancements in sensitivity and versatility associated with these techniques in relation to phytocannabinoid analysis 12 .…”

“…A large volume of HPLC and UPLC (or UHPLC) methods that have been reported for the analysis of cannabinoids in C. sativa L. plant samples 13–94 and cannabis consumer products, for example, hashish, marijuana, and cannabis oils, 95–137 since 2020 are presented in Tables 1 and 2 and discussed in the following subsections.…”

“…Both HPLC and UPLC (or UHPLC) methods have been applied for the separation, identification and quantitation of cannabinoids in C. sativa L. samples, mainly including aerial parts, biomass, flowers, inflorescences, and leaves 13–93 (Table 1). However, simple HPLC‐based methods have remained more dominant than UPLC (or UHPLC)‐based methods for the analysis of C. sativa plant samples during 2020–23.…”

“…Botanically, an inflorescence is defined as a cymose panicle, formed in the axil of the leaves on several stem segments. Chen et al 33 achieved simultaneous separation and identification of CBC ( 1 ), CBD ( 5 ), CBDA ( 6 ), CBDV ( 18 ), CBG ( 8 ), CBGA ( 9 ), CBN ( 10 ), Δ 8 ‐THC ( 13 ), Δ 9 ‐THC ( 14 ), Δ 9 ‐THCA ( 15 ), and THCV ( 16 ) in buds. In this study, over one hundred bud samples from 20 different varieties of C. sativa , collected from the state of Maryland, were analyzed.…”