An alternative easy method for the analysis of volatile compounds from lipid matrices: analysis of terpenes and terpenoids in medical-grade Cannabis sativa L. inflorescences in macerated oils

Abstract

The terpenes and terpenoids present in cannabis are the subject of increasing research, as their interaction with phytocannabinoids appears to enhance their biological activity. In addition, both for health reasons and to meet consumer demand for more natural products, cannabis flowers are increasingly being extracted in vegetable oils, and cannabis extracts are being formulated in vegetable oils. The number of people using cannabis for medical purposes is increasing. In addition to optimizing the combination of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for the specific indication being treated, it is necessary to know precisely the dose of each important API administered. To achieve this goal, we have developed a new sample preparation method for determining the terpene and terpenoid content of lipid-based plant extracts by GC-FID. The method described has the advantages of being easy to implement, inexpensive, reproducible, and suitable for the quantification of terpenes and terpenoids in oily matrices, an analysis that was generally performed by HS until now. We confirm that the composition of lipid matrices can influence the extraction yields of terpene compounds from medical cannabis. Sesame oil was the most effective lipid matrix (925 μg total terpene compounds/100 mg dry matter) and rapeseed oil was the least effective (762 μg/100 mg dry matter).