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Cannabinoid Detection and Quantitation

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Cannabis Laboratory Fundamentals
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Abstract

In countries were medicinal or adult recreational use cannabis programs have been legalized, analytical testing including cannabinoid quantitation, pesticides and mycotoxins analysis, heavy metals analysis, residual solvents analysis, terpene profiling, and microbial screening has been regulated. Other tests like moisture content, water activity, and “filth” may also be regulated. Performance of these tests requires a suite of analytical testing platforms. This chapter will focus on cannabinoid quantitation using high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Other topics of discussion will include sample preparation, caveats to some of the applications, and non-targeted comprehensive screening methodologies using time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Although focused on cannabis and cannabinoid product testing, these methods are easily translated to hemp and hemp products. At its essence hemp is the same species as cannabis but differentiated only by its psychoactive potential as defined by total ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol content.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Anastasia Andrianova, Matthew Curtis, Sue D’Antonio, Eric Fausett, Wendi A. Hale, Terry Harper, Jeffery S. Hollis, Nikolas C. Lau, Bruce Quimby, Peter J.W. Stone, Christy Storm, Jessica Westland, Michael Zumwalt of Agilent Technologies, and Julie Kowalski of JA Science and Support.

Disclaimers Agilent products and solutions are intended to be used for cannabis quality control and safety testing in laboratories where such use is permitted under state/country law.

The material presented in this chapter does not necessarily reflect to views and opinions of Johns Hopkins University or Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The material presented in this chapter is for informational purposes only. The author does not advocate the use of marijuana or cannabinoid products.

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Correspondence to Anthony Macherone .

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Macherone, A. (2021). Cannabinoid Detection and Quantitation. In: Opie, S.R. (eds) Cannabis Laboratory Fundamentals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62716-4_9

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