Post-Harvest Operations to Generate High-Quality Medicinal Cannabis Products: A Systemic Review

Abstract

The traditional Cannabis plant as a medicinal crop has been explored for many thousands of years. The Cannabis industry is rapidly growing; therefore, optimising drying methods and producing high-quality medical products have been a hot topic in recent years. We systemically analysed the current literature and drew a critical summary of the drying methods implemented thus far to preserve the quality of bioactive compounds from medicinal Cannabis. Different drying techniques have been one of the focal points during the post-harvesting operations, as drying preserves these Cannabis products with increased shelf life. We followed or even highlighted the most popular methods used. Drying methods have advanced from traditional hot air and oven drying methods to microwave-assisted hot air drying or freeze-drying. In this review, traditional and modern drying technologies are reviewed. Each technology will have different pros and cons of its own. Moreover, this review outlines the quality of the Cannabis plant component harvested plays a major role in drying efficiency and preserving the chemical constituents. The emergence of medical Cannabis, and cannabinoid research requires optimal post-harvesting processes for different Cannabis strains. We proposed the most suitable method for drying medicinal Cannabis to produce consistent, reliable and potent medicinal Cannabis. In addition, drying temperature, rate of drying, mode and storage conditions after drying influenced the Cannabis component retention and quality.

Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review

“…According to Chen et al [ 34 ], drying conditions and methods dominate the drying time and quality characteristics of cannabis. Air drying, microwave-assisted convective drying, freeze drying, vacuum drying, microwave assisted freeze drying, intermittent (non-isothermal) drying, conveyor drying, radio frequency, and electrohydrodynamic drying, among others are the suggested modern drying techniques for cannabis [ 4 , 10 , 35 ]. However, critical identification of psychrometric behavior for devolvement of new drying technologies is equally important.…”

Secondary Terpenes in Cannabis sativa L.: Synthesis and Synergy

“…The plant material used was from commercial breeding lines that could not be affiliated to a specific subspecies because of crossings between different cultivars over many generations. Moreover, several factors have been shown to influence terpene diversity, such as plant genetics, pest presence, overall plant health, soil composition, proper drying, curing, and microbiology [ 34 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ].…”

Potential applications of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) extracts and their phytochemicals as functional ingredients in food and medicinal supplements: a narrative review

“…These precursors form cannabigerol acid (CBGA) and then convert it to cannabidiol acid (CBDA) after decarboxylation of CBDA to form CBD (Leizer et al ., 2000; Russo, 2011; Hanuš et al ., 2016), then dry and extracted from hemp flower or leave (Xu et al ., 2021; Al Ubeed et al ., 2022; Andre et al ., 2016; Ubeed et al ., 2022). It has various biological effects, such as polyphenol, flavonoids, anti‐inflammatory drugs, and anticancer and cytostatic effects (Hazekamp et al ., 2010).…”