Speakers
Description
Terpenes are cannabis secondary metabolites that provide not only beneficial biological properties for the plant, but also are found to have synergic and/or enhancing effects of the cannabinoids1. Therefore, they are extremely important in the production of pharmaceuticals significant for the improvement of human health1. To emphasize, terpenes are volatile compounds that produce the plant its aroma and flavor, characterize the specific cannabis strains, and are primary constituents of the essential oils1,2. Hence, the analysis of terpene profile, that includes the terpene composition, chemistry, diversity, quantity, and biosynthesis, in the various products obtained from cannabis, is of primary importance2.
We present method for identification and quantification of terpenes in C. Sativa using Agilent 7967A headspace sampler for sample introduction, Agilent 8890 gas chromatograph for terpene separation and Agilent Flame Ionization Detector accompanied with Agilent Triple Quadrupole 7000D for their detection and quantification. Namely, the headspace technique is perfect for analysis of the volatile terpenes, and it can provide better separation, faster analysis, and reduced matrix effect, compared to the traditional automatic liquid sampler3. Moreover, we present a comparison of the separation capabilities of two different GC columns, Agilent DB-Select 624 UI and Agilent HP-5. Finally, we optimized the process of sample preparation, without any significant losses because of the terpene volatility.
References
1. Isidore, E; Karim, H; Ioannou, I. Extraction of Phenolic Compounds and Terpenes from Cannabis sativa L. By-Products: From Conventional to Intensified Processes, Antioxidants 2021, 10, 942. DOI: org/10.3390/antiox10060942
2. Sommano, S. R; Chittasupho, C; Ruksiriwanich, W; Jantrawut, P. The Cannabis Terpenes, Molecules 2020, 25, 5792. DOI: 10.3390/molecules25245792
3. Law, R. An introduction to Headspace sampling in gas chromatography: Fundamentals and theory, PerkinElmer, Inc 2014, 3; Retrieved from https://resources.perkinelmer.com/corporate/pdfs/downloads/gde_intro_to_headspace.pdf
