Determination of Cannabinoids in Cannabis sativa Oil and Infused Ice Cream by LC-DAD Method.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis sativa is known to produce a class of terpenophenolic compounds named cannabinoids. The two main ones are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which have therapeutic properties. In the development of cannabis-based preparations, it is important to have suitable analytical methods for the analysis of the principal cannabinoids. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and validate a simple and rapid HPLC method with photodiode array detection for determination of CBD and THC in Cannabis sativa oil extract and infused ice cream, including a stability study. METHOD: Chromatographic separation of CBD and THC was performed with a C18 column, with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and water with formic acid (80 + 20 v/v) in isocratic elution mode, with detection at 208 nm for CBD and 280 nm for THC and 1.0 mL/min flow rate. RESULTS: The method was linear over a range of 1-5 µg/mL for CBD, and 20-100 µg/mL for THC; the relative standard deviation was <3.6%, the recovery ranged between 98.8 and 102.5% for oil and between 84 and 94% for ice cream, QL was 0.33 µg/mL for CBD and 2.30 µg/mL for THC, and the assay demonstrated adequate selectivity. CBD and THC were stable for at least 28 days under light protection at 22°C, 4°C, and -20°C in the oil and for at least 60 days at -20°C in the ice cream. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the method was suitable for quantitative determination of CBD and THC in Cannabis sativa oil extract and infused ice cream, and it is useful for quality control purposes. HIGHLIGHTS: The method is simple and fast, and it is useful for the quality control of a new product corresponding to an ice cream based on a Cannabis sativa oil extract.

Variation in phenolic compounds of Ugni molinae populations and their potential use as antioxidant supplement

In the present work we carried out a comparative study of total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity of aqueous leaf extracts of Ugni molinae Turcz., Myrtaceae (infusion and Soxhlet extracted) prepared from continent and Juan Fernández Island samples. The results revealed that total phenol content (TPC), tannins (TTC) and flavonoids (TFC) for U. molinae extracts (infusion and Soxhlet extracts) from island leaves were 38.5, 56.7 and 37.5% higher than those obtained with leaves from the continent, respectively. Also, HPLC profiles showed important differences between U. molinae populations. In vitro antioxidant capacity (scavenging of DPPH radical) for 1% infusion and aqueous extract (Soxhlet method) of U. molinae from island samples, was 15% greater than from continent samples. Further, in vivo impact of U. molinae intake (1% infusion) was studied in plasma samples obtained from healthy volunteers. Participants that consumed tea prepared with leaves from island population showed higher TBARS reduction and plasma antioxidant capacity (TEAC-CUPRAC) than those who consumed tea prepared with leaves from continental population. The conditions of the territory in which U. molinae populations growth could explain the differences in their composition and activity. According to results, island U. molinae populations could be an important source of study for the development of an antioxidant supplement, and thereby contribute to the use of this species that has becoming an ecological problem in the island.