Fibre-type Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) and related cannabinoids prοvide a considerable therapeutic potential, as revealed by on-going research [1]. More specifically, cannabidiol (CBD) and its acidic precursor cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) represent the major non-psychoactive cannabinoids in hemp, possessing numerous pharmacological properties [1]. Hence, an efficient extraction protocol followed by rapid and reliable quantification of CBD and CBDA is increasingly required. The aim of this work was the assessment of different extraction methodologies in terms of cannabinoid yield as well as the optimization of the extraction procedure based on the selected technique. Additionally, the development and validation of a simple and efficient analytical protocol employing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detection (UPLC-PDA) was also carried out to determine the principal cannabinoids. Samples of dried hemp inflorescences (C. sativa ‘Futura 75’) were studied by examining three different extraction techniques, namely ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and dynamic maceration (DM) [2]. As regards UAE, which proved to be the most promising technique, optimization of different parameters was performed to ensure the highest yield of CBDA & CBD by applying design of experiments (DoE) [3]. The variables investigated included sample-to-solvent ratio, time, and temperature. Appreciably higher recovery of cannabinoids was achieved by the optimized UAE method followed, enabling a simplified and more rapid extraction as compared to the recent literature [3]. The UPLC-PDA method developed herein is also suggested for the accurate and high-throughput determination of the major cannabinoids in fibre-type C. sativa.
P. Tzimas would like to thank Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) for the financial support.
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