Improving Quality Control Methods For Cannabis-Infused Products Using Automated Flash Chromatography

Thirty-four US states plus the District of Columbia have legalized some form of medical marijuana and many more states are considering legalization. New cannabis products are being developed at a rapid pace, challenging quality control chemists to quickly develop analytical methods to comply with testing requirements. Traditional extraction methods don't always work with complex food or topical matrices. Problems such as non-homogenous samples can lead to inaccurate measurements when using traditional solvent based extraction methods. In addition, large amounts of chlorinated solvents are often needed. Other issues facing laboratories include access to cannabinoid reference standards and a shortened life span of analytical equipment and consumables used in the routine analysis of viscous and particulate samples.

Flash chromatography can help overcome some of the issues facing laboratories by offering a more efficient way to isolate cannabinoids and other compounds of interest from complex matrices, enhancing separation and quantification techniques. Our data were obtained by analyzing complex matrices, i.e., edibles (gummy candy, chocolate, brownies, and caramel) and topical products (lotion) spiked with known amounts of cannabinoids. We also demonstrate how flash technology can be used to isolate individual cannabinoids that can be used for research studies or as reference standards.

Fig. 1: Three cannabinoids are well-separated from the sugar and fat in the brownie resulting in clean cannabinoid fractions to be analyzed by HPLC.