Screening Method for the Quality Evaluation of Cannabidiols in Water-based Products Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

A sensitive, useful and preliminary screening method was proposed to quantitate the containable cannabinoids most commonly included in mineral water and gummi candy products, specifically cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCA), cannabigerol (CBG), and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for quality evaluations. Based on the electrospray positive ion mode, the limit of detection and the limit of quantification values were 0.2 to 0.5 ng/mL and 0.8 and 2.0 ng/mL. Samples (0.5 g) were diluted by water/methanol (50/50), to which stable isotope internal standards were added; the recovery results appeared in range from 91.3 to 101.2%. This method was applied to evaluate CBD products (6 kinds) from the Japanese market. Our survey found obvious discrepancies between the labeling and the results were overserved in products. In addition, CBN, THCA, CBG, and CBDA were not detected in full-spectrum products that contained various cannabinoids that naturally occur in the cannabis plant. Thus, it is necessary to be able to verify the accurate concentration and impurity in various CBD products from the Japanese market as quickly as possible.