DAB method transfer for potency of cannabinoids in dry cannabis flower

Abstract

Cannabis is considered as heterogeneous matrix that contains complex profile of secondary metabolites, where more than 100 are classified as phytocannabinoids, present with an uneven distribution. In order to ensure its quality, application of suitable sample preparation techniques as well as time- and cost-efficient analytical methods is required. The DAB method depicts the obligatory procedure for potency testing of cannabinoids in cannabis flower in the EU. In this study we have performed method transfer in order to confirm the applicability of the method in determination of varying quantities of cannabioniods in different cannabis strains, focusing on samples with low content of CBD or THC or samples where one of these two cannabiniods is not detected. The HPLC-DAD method was validated and used for routine control of the content and consistency of medical cannabis. Limits of detection, limits of quantitation, accuracy, precision, and intermediate precision were found to be highly satisfactory.