Quality Traits of “Cannabidiol Oils”: Cannabinoids Content, Terpene Fingerprint and Oxidation Stability of European Commercially Available Preparations

Abstract

Cannabidiol (CBD)-based oil preparations are becoming extremely popular, as CBD has been shown to have beneficial effects on human health. CBD-based oil preparations are not unambiguously regulated under the European legislation, as CBD is not considered as a controlled substance. This means that companies can produce and distribute CBD products derived from non-psychoactive hemp varieties, providing an easy access to this extremely advantageous cannabinoid. This leaves consumers with no legal quality guarantees. The objective of this project was to assess the quality of 14 CBD oils commercially available in European countries. An in-depth chemical profiling of cannabinoids, terpenes and oxidation products was conducted by means of GC-MS and HPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS in order to improve knowledge regarding the characteristics of CBD oils. Nine out of the 14 samples studied had concentrations that differed notably from the declared amount, while the remaining five preserved CBD within optimal limits. Our results highlighted a wide variability in cannabinoids profile that justifies the need for strict and standardized regulations. In addition, the terpenes fingerprint may serve as an indicator of the quality of hemp varieties, while the lipid oxidation products profile could contribute in evaluation of the stability of the oil used as milieu for CBD rich extracts.

Development of a Novel Nano­emulsion Formulation to Improve Intestinal Absorption of Cannabidiol

“…Many kinds of formulations containing CBD have been widely distributed for these effects [14]. Moreover, in June 2018, highly purified CBD Epidiolex®, a CBD oil preparation, was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome or Dravet syndrome [15, 16].…”

Developing Robust Standardised Analytical Procedures for Cannabinoid Quantification: Laying the Foundations for an Emerging Cannabis-Based Pharmaceutical Industry

“…Reports of inaccurate labelling and batch-to-batch variation of active ingredients within magistral CME preparations confirm fears that these products lack standardisation [29, 91, 92]. Being able to characterise accurately the complexity of botanical drug forms and to discriminate the efficacy of their constituents both singularly and in combination remains challenging [93].…”

Cannabidiol: A budding industry!

“…This may be an important consideration when determining the CBD content of different Cannabis chemovars, as the most commonly used technique, gas chromatography, requires the sample to be heated prior to analysis, potentially altering the content of CBD and CBDA in the sample (Pavlovic et al . ). Although there are some animal and cell culture studies to suggest that CBDA may have beneficial properties ( e.g .…”

“…In a recent analysis of 14 CBD oils commercially available in Europe, nine of the products tested contained a level of CBD which differed by >10% (range ± 4–38%) from the amount stated by the manufacturer on the label, with six containing a lower amount and three containing a higher amount (Pavlovic et al . ). Twelve out of the 14 samples tested contained a detectable amount of THC, and one sample contained a considerable amount (0.35%).…”

“…CBD is not synthesised within the plant per se but is produced by non-enzymatic decarboxylation of the precursor cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) following exposure to light, heat or ageing, which results in its neutralisation and the formation of CBD (Russo 2017). This may be an important consideration when determining the CBD content of different Cannabis chemovars, as the most commonly used technique, gas chromatography, requires the sample to be heated prior to analysis, potentially altering the content of CBD and CBDA in the sample (Pavlovic et al 2018). Although there are some animal and cell culture studies to suggest that CBDA may have beneficial properties (e.g.…”