Analysis of Mycotoxins in Cannabis Plant Material and Derivative Products by Immunoaffinity Enrichment LC-MS/MS

Significance of the topic

Cannabis products are subject to strict regulations for mycotoxin contamination to ensure consumer safety. Mycotoxins such as Aflatoxin B1 B2 G1 G2 and Ochratoxin A can form during cultivation storage and processing and pose serious health risks including carcinogenic effects.

Objectives and study overview

This study aimed to develop a reliable and rapid method for the analysis of regulated mycotoxins in cannabis plant material and derivative products by combining immunoaffinity enrichment with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Validation parameters included linearity limit of detection limit of quantitation accuracy precision matrix effect and robustness across multiple sample types.

Methodology and instrumentation

Samples of flower topicals tinctures concentrates and edibles were extracted using isopropanol and methanol water mixtures with milling and centrifugation. The extract was diluted with tween twenty in phosphate buffered saline and purified using Vicam AflaOchra immunoaffinity columns. Eluate was analyzed by Waters ACQUITY UPLC I-Class equipped with Waters XBridge BEH C18 column coupled to a Xevo TQ-S micro tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in electrospray positive mode. MassLynx software controlled data acquisition and processing.

Main results and discussion

The method achieved limits of detection of 1.5 ppb for individual aflatoxins and 4.5 ppb for ochratoxin A in plant derived samples and 2.5 ppb and 7.5 ppb in concentrates. LOQs were 3 ppb aflatoxins and 9 ppb ochratoxin A for plant products and 5 and 15 ppb respectively for concentrates. Linear ranges covered regulatory limits with coefficients of determination above 0.997. Accuracy recoveries ranged from 60 to 115 across matrices. Precision repeatability reported coefficients of variation below 20. Matrix effects varied by sample type highlighting the need for matrix matched calibration or internal standards.

Benefits and practical applications

The method meets US EU and Canadian regulatory requirements for mycotoxins in diverse cannabis matrices. It provides rapid five minute analysis throughput supports quality control workflows and ensures consumer safety in medicinal and recreational product testing.

Future trends and applications

Future developments may include the use of stable isotope labeled internal standards automation of sample preparation high throughput screening platforms and extension to additional mycotoxin and contaminant panels to strengthen product safety assurance.

Conclusion

This immunoaffinity enrichment LC MS MS method offers a robust sensitive and versatile solution for mycotoxin analysis in cannabis plant and derived products. It demonstrates compliance with regulatory guidelines and can be readily implemented in analytical laboratories.

References

• U S Food and Drug Administration Foods Program Guidelines for the Validation of Chemical Methods in Food Feed Cosmetics and Veterinary Products 3rd edition October 2019
• USDA GIPSA Grain Fungal Diseases and Mycotoxin Reference Washington D C September 2006