METHODS FOR QUANTIFICATION OF THE MAIN CANNABINOIDS IN CBD OIL

Cannabidiol (CBD) is an alkaloid present in Cannabis sativa, together with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and more than 120 other substances belonging to a group of compounds named cannabinoids. Due to the continuous increased usage of CBD oils, it became necessary to be developed efficient methods for the identification of its compounds and especially for the characterization of the cannabinoids from the commercial specimens. Cannabinoids may be detected by many and different analytical methods, including immunoassays (EMIT®, Elisa, fluorescent polarization, radioimmunotest), techniques of flat chromatography: classic thin layer chromatography (TLC), optimum performance laminar chromatography (OPLC) and multiple development automatization (AMD), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Ultraviolet signal (UV) is used for the quantification of major cannabinoids and the mass spectrometer is used for the quantification of minor cannabinoids. The purpose of this study was to compare the performances of TLC, Ultra High-Performance Liquid chromatography with Photodiode Array Detection (UHPLC with PDA) and LC-MS/ MS technique for the qualitative and quantitative determination of cannabinoids in 3 commercial oils with CBD. Having in view that CBD may be found in many forms of oils, on the legal market of the internet, we believe that the development of a method for the qualitative and quantitative determination may be an interesting subject for the pharmaceutical professional persons.