Towards a Better Method of Cannabinoid Extraction and Preservation for Cannabis-Based Products

PASCUAL AC, CHAMORRO AGUIRRE E, MILANO PG, BOCETTI MC, PASQUARÉ SJ

MEDICINA (BUENOS AIRES)

MEDICINA (BUENOS AIRES)

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2019 vol. 79 p. 163 - 163

0025-7680

Although cannabis is widely consumed for medicinal purposes, little is known about its content. In Bahía Blanca city, Argentina, we observed that 3.4% of 59 analysed cannabis oils failed to contain delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN), and that 89.5 % had more THC than CBD. Several reports highlight the importance of quantifying cannabinoids in medicinal products in order to use an appropriate concentration. Here, we aimed to study the extraction, quantification and storage of the different cannabinoid products. To this end, cannabis female flowers were grinded and heated (115°C, 40 min) to decarboxylate acidic cannabinoids. Extractions were performed by adding 5 % (w/v) ethanol, vortexed, sonicated, and agitated by a shaking platform. The mixture was centrifuged and the supernatant was evaporated under stream of N2. Resin, ethanol and oil preparations were stored at different temperatures and/or containers for up to 60 days. THC, CBD and CBN content was quantified by HPLC. Ethanol extracts from plants harvested in winter showed a 123 % increase in THC+CBN content with respect to a clone harvested in summer (p<0.05). The extraction method allowed obtaining 72, 24 and 4% of THC in the first, second and third extraction, respectively. Storage evaluation showed no changes in THC or CBD content when cannabis oils were kept at 25, 4 and -20°C in plastic tubes and ethanol extracts in glass at -20°C for up to 60 days. However, at 4°C, THC content decreased (13%) at day 30 (p<0.05). On the other hand, ethanol extracts stored in plastic showed a decrease of THC at day 30 either at 4°C (17%) or at -20°C (14%) (p<0.05). In resins stored either in plastic or in glass, THC also decreased (14 and 10%, respectively) at day 30 (p<0.05). Our results show that although the extraction method employed is suitable to obtain different cannabinoid preparations, it is important to choose the appropriate storage method