The determination of cannabinoids is mostly performed in cannabis and cannabis products, food and beverages, confectionery, dietary supplements (oil-based or dried herbs), extracts, concentrates and resins, vapes, collectibles, but also in blood plasma and forensic samples.
Currently can target and quantify up to 69 cannabinoids, including 45 phytocannabinoids and 24 (semi)synthetic cannabinoids. Among these compounds you can also find regulated substances, such as THC or the new HHC derivatives and others. Furthermore, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets maximum limits for the sum of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (Δ9-THCA), expressed as THC equivalents, in cannabis products.
In addition, we can also measure the total profile of phytocannabinoids and other bioactive compounds in the samples; qualitative screening by UHPLC-HRMS/MS (KM 15) includes about 290 phytocannabinoids and 260 other bioactive compounds.
For the quantitative determination of cannabinoids by UHPLC-HRMS(MS) (KM21) and UHPLC-DAD (KM 29), we currently offer several ranges of determinations:
Scope 1: basic range
4 major natural cannabinoids by the UHPLC-HRMS method (KM21)
CBD (cannabidiol); CBDA (cannabidiolic acid); CBD equivalents; trans-Δ9-THC (trans-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol); Δ9-THCA-A (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A); THC equivalents
Scope 2: Determination of the purity of concentrates or isolates of cannabinoid-based substances
9 cannabinoids by the UHPLC-DAD method (KM29)
- CBD (cannabidiol); CBDA (cannabidiolic acid); CBD equivalents; trabs-Δ9-THC (trans-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol); Δ9-THCA-A (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A); THC equivalents; CBN (cannabinol); CBG (cannabigerol); CBGA (cannabigerolic acid); CBDV (cannabidivarine); CBC (cannabichromene)
Scope 3: (semi)synthetic cannabinoids
14 cannabinoids by the UHPLC-HRMS method (KM21)
- (R)-HHC (9(R)-hexahydrocannabinol); (S)-HHC (9(S)-hexahydrocannabinol); (R)-HCH (9(R)-hexahydrocannabihexol); (S)-HCH (9(S)-hexahydrocannabihexol); (R)-HHCP (9(R)-hexahydrocannabiphorol); (S)-HHCP (9(S)-hexahydrocannabiphorol); (R)-HHCPO (9(R)-hexahydrocannabiphorol acetate); (S)-HHCPO (9(S)-hexahydrocannabiphorol acetate); (R)-HHCO (9(R)-hexahydrocannabinol acetate); (S)-HHCO (9(S)-hexahydrocannabinol acetate); (R)-H4CBD (1(R)-tetrahydrocannabidiol); (S)-H4CBD (1(S)-tetrahydrocannabidiol); HU-331 (cannabidiol hydroxyquinone); 9-OH-HHC (9-alpha-hydroxy hexahydrocannabinol).
Scope 4: substances included to Regulation No. 52/2024 Coll.
12 cannabinoids - including (semi)synthetic by the UHPLC-HRMS method (KM21):
Scope 5: extended range of natural cannabinoids
16 cannabinoids by the UHPLC-HRMS method (KM21)
- CBD (cannabidiol); CBDA (cannabidiolic acid); CBD equivalents; trans-Δ9-THC (trans-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol); Δ9-THCA-A (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A); THC equivalents; Δ9-THCV (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarine); THCVA (tetrahydrocannabivaric acid); CBN (cannabinol); CBNA (cannabinolic acid); CBG (cannabigerol); CBGA (cannabigerolic acid); CBDV (cannabidivarine); CBDVA (cannabidivaric acid); CBC (cannabichromene); CBCA (cannabichromenic acid); CBL (cannabicyclol); CBLA (cannabicyclic acid)
Scope 6: all substances to be quantified
59 cannabinoids - including (semi)synthetic by the UHPLC-HRMS method (KM21)
- CBD (cannabidiol); CBDA (cannabidiolic acid); CBD equivalents; trans-Δ9-THC (trans-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol); cis-Δ9-THC (cis-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol); exo-THC (exo-tetrahydrocannabinol); Δ9-THCA-A (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A); THC equivalents; Δ8-THC (delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol); Δ9-THCV (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabivarine); Δ8-THCV (delta-8-tetrahydrocannabivarine); THCVA (tetrahydrocannabivaric acid); THCV equivalents; CBN (cannabinol); CBNA (cannabinolic acid); CBN equivalents; CBG (cannabigerol); CBGA (cannabigerolic acid); CBG equivalents; CBDV (cannabidivarine); CBDVA (cannabidivaric acid); CBDV equivalents; CBC (cannabichromene); CBCA (cannabichromenic acid); CBC equivalents; CBL (cannabicyclol); CBLA (cannabicyclolic acid); CBL equivalents; CBCV (cannabichromevarine); CBCVA (cannabichromevarinic acid); CBGAQ (cannabigerol quinone acid); CBV (cannabivarine); CBVA (cannabivaric acid); CBGO (cannabigerorcine); CBGOA (cannabigerorcinic acid); CBGV (cannabigerovarine); CBGVA (cannabigerovarinic acid); CBCO (cannabichromeorcin); CBCOA (cannabichromeorcinic acid); CBT (cannabicitran); CBE (cannabielsoin); CBGB (cannabigerobutol); CBDB (cannabidibutol); Δ9-THCB (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabutol); CBDH (cannabidihexol); Δ9-THCH (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabihexol); CBND (cannabinodiol); CBGM (cannabigerol monomethyl ether); CBNM (cannabinol monomethyl ether); CBDP (cannabidiphorol); Δ9-THCP (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabiphorol); Δ8-THCP (delta-8-tetrahydrocannabiphorol); (R)-HHC (9(R)-hexahydrocannabinol); (S)-HHC (9(S)-hexahydrocannabinol); (R)-HHCH (9(R)-hexahydrocannabihexol); (S)-HHCH (9(S)-hexahydrocannabihexol); (R)-HHCP (9(R)-hexahydrocannabiphorol); (S)-HHCP (9(S)-hexahydrocannabiphorol); (R)-HHCPO (9(R)-hexahydrocannabiphorol acetate); (S)-HHCPO (9(S)-hexahydrocannabiphorol acetate); (R)-HCCO (9(R)-hexahydrocannabinol acetate); (S)-HCCO (9(S)-hexahydrocannabinol acetate); (R)-H4CBD (1(R)-tetrahydrocannabidiol); (S)-H4CBD (1(S)-tetrahydrocannabidiol); HU-331 (cannabidiol hydroxyquinone); 9-OH-HHC (9-alpha-hydroxy hexahydrocannabinol).