Journal:Accelerated solvent extraction of terpenes in cannabis coupled with various injection techniques for GC-MS analysis

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Full article title Accelerated solvent extraction of terpenes in cannabis coupled with various injection techniques for GC-MS analysis
Journal Frontiers in Chemistry
Author(s) Myers, Colton; Herrington, Jason S.; Hamrah, Paul; Anderson, Kelsey
Author affiliation(s) Restek Corporation, Verity Analytics
Primary contact colton dot myers at restek dot com
Year published 2021
Volume and issue 9
Article # 619770
DOI 10.3389/fchem.2021.619770
ISSN 2296-2646
Distribution license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Website https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.619770/full
Download https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2021.619770/pdf (PDF)

Abstract

The cannabis market is expanding exponentially in the United States. As state-wide legalization efforts increase, so also do demands for analytical testing methodologies. One of the main tests conducted on cannabis products is the analysis for terpenes. This research focused on implementation of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), utilizing surrogate matrix matching, and evaluation of traditional vs. more modern sample introduction techniques for analyzing terpenes via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Introduction techniques included headspace syringe (HS syringe), HS-solid-phase microextraction Arrow (HS-SPME Arrow), direct immersion-SPME Arrow (DI-SPME Arrow), and liquid injection syringe (LI syringe). The LI syringe approach was deemed the most straightforward and robust method, with terpene working ranges of 0.04–5.12 μg/mL; r2 values of 0.988–0.996 (0.993 average); limit of quantitation values of 0.017–0.129 μg/mL (0.047 average); analytical precisions of 2.58–9.64% RSD (1.56 average); overall ASE-LI-syringe-GC-MS method precisions of 1.73–14.6% RSD (4.97 average); and % recoveries of 84.6–98.9% (90.2 average) for the 23 terpenes of interest. Sample workflows and results are discussed, with an evaluation of the advantages/limitations of each approach and opportunities for future work.

Keywords: accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), terpenes, solid-phase microextraction (SPME), solid-phase microextraction Arrow (SPME Arrow), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS)

Introduction

The legal cannabis market is one of the fastest growing markets across the globe. In 2019, cannabis use for medicinal purposes in the United States generated $4 billion to $4.9 billion in sales, compared to the adult-use estimates between $6.6 billion and $8.1 billion.[1] As the United States and additional countries continue to legalize the use of medicinal and recreational cannabis, analytical testing demands increase. A 2020 report by Market Data Forecast valued the global cannabis testing market at $1,218.0 million in 2019 and estimated it to be growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.42%.[2] The market is projected to almost double at $2,187.3 million by 2024.[2] Of the examinations conducted in cannabis testing laboratories, terpene profiling is a popular analysis, regardless of state regulations.

Terpenes are a naturally occurring set of organic compounds, which are commonly found in plants, and are typically strong in odor.[3] Terpenes are made up of isoprene units and are classified by the number of their isoprene units.[3] The two types of terpenes that are commonly analyzed in the cannabis testing industry are monoterpenes, which have two isoprene units, and sesquiterpenes, which have three isoprene units. Over 100 terpenes have been identified in different cannabis chemical varieties (chemovars).[4] Each cannabis chemovar has its own unique terpene profile, giving consumers different aromas, flavors, and experiences depending on the chemovar they use. According to Russo et al., terpenes play a major role in the entourage effect, which is the synergistic interaction between phytocannabinoids and terpenoids with respect to treating numerous ailments (e.g., depression).[5] The desire to understand and capitalize on this entourage effect is the motivation for terpene testing in the cannabis industry.

Terpenes have been analyzed in numerous commodities within the food and beverage industry. Previous studies have looked at a variety of matrices (e.g., tequila) and have used different analytical techniques (e.g., solid-phase microextraction [SPME]) to conduct the analysis.[4]

[6]

[7]

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Shapira et al., 2019; Bakro et al., 2020; Gaggiotti et al., 2020; Muñoz-Redondo et al., 2020; Nguyen et al., 2020; Ternelli et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020

However, only a few studies have shown the analysis of terpenes in cannabis and hemp matrices (e.g., flower, gummy), and their robustness for compliance laboratories remains uncertain. Calvi et al., Ternelli et al., Gaggotti et al., and Stenerson et al. did not perform extractions on cannabis and hemp samples; rather, they added the samples directly to a headspace (HS) vial and demonstrated the analysis of terpenes using HS-SPME.

[4] [10] Gaggiotti et al., 2020; Ternelli et al., 2020).

Nguyen et al. utilized a pseudo extraction by adding a solvent to dried material, followed by analysis via headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS). (Nguyen et al., 2020) The five aforementioned studies appear to lack an exhaustive cannabis or hemp extraction, and therefore this calls into question the real-world applicability of these methods. Furthermore, Calvi et al., Ternelli et al., Gaggotti et al., and Stenerson et al. only focused on profiling the terpenes in the cannabis or hemp matrices studied and therefore only presented qualitative and semi-quantitative data.

References

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  2. 2.0 2.1 "Chart: Nationwide sales of adult-use cannabis further eclipse those of medical marijuana". February 2020. https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/cannabis-testing-market. Retrieved 31 August 2020. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Nuutinen, T. (2018). "Medicinal properties of terpenes found in Cannabis sativa and Humulus lupulus". European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 157: 198–228. doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.07.076. PMID 30096653. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Calvi, L.; Pentimalli, D.; Panseri, S. et al. (2018). "Comprehensive quality evaluation of medical Cannabis sativa L. inflorescence and macerated oils based on HS-SPME coupled to GC–MS and LC-HRMS (q-exactive orbitrap) approach". Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis 150: 208–19. doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2017.11.073. 
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  7. Kupska, M.; Chmiel, T.; Jędrkiewicz, R. et al. (2014). "Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography for determination of the terpenes profile of blue honeysuckle berries". Food Chemistry 152: 88–93. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.11.129. PMID 24444910. 
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  9. Jeleń, H.H.; Gracka, A. (2015). "Analysis of black pepper volatiles by solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography: A comparison of terpenes profiles with hydrodistillation". Journal of Chromatography A 1418: 200–209. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2015.09.065. PMID 26427328. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 Stenerson, K.K.; Halpenny, M.R. (2017). "Analysis of Terpenes in Cannabis Using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction and GC–MS". LCGC 35 (5): 27–32. https://www.chromatographyonline.com/view/analysis-terpenes-cannabis-using-headspace-solid-phase-microextraction-and-gc-ms. 
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  12. Ibrahim, E.A.; Wang, M.; Radwan, M.M. et al. (2019). "Analysis of Terpenes in Cannabis sativa L. Using GC/MS: Method Development, Validation, and Application". Planta Medica 85 (5): 431–38. doi:10.1055/a-0828-8387. PMID 30646402. 

Notes

This presentation is faithful to the original, with only a few minor changes to presentation. Some grammar and punctuation was cleaned up to improve readability. In some cases important information was missing from the references, and that information was added. The original article lists references in alphabetical order; this wiki organizes them by order of appearance, by design.