Dedicated and Verified Cannabinoid Potency Testing using the Agilent 1220 Infinity II HPLC System

In U.S. states and Canada where the sale of recreation or medicinal cannabis flower or edible cannabinoid products has been legalized, potency testing is required by the governing regulatory agencies. Most require quantification of (−)-trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA-A), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic Acid (CBDA), and cannabinol (CBN). In addition to these, California also includes cannabigerol (CBG). Although there are potentially as many as 140 endogenous cannabinoids, quality testing laboratories may also include (-)-Δ8-THC, cannabigerolic acid (CBGA), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidivarin (CBDV), and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) in their target list. 

Using the Agilent 1220 Infinity II HPLC platform, we have developed a simple and robust factory verified methodology for dedicated cannabinoid quantification and potency determination in cannabis and cannabinoid products. The method offers a fast, accurate, and sensitive procedure for high productivity laboratories. This presentation will discuss the system parameters to chromatographically resolve 11 targeted cannabinoids in under 10 minutes. Full method verification data will be presented including: range, linearity, accuracy, inter- and intra-day precision, and instrument detection limits.

Presenter: Michael Zumwalt, Ph.D. (Application Consulting Lead, Agilent Technologies, Inc.)

Dr. Zumwalt holds a services R&D position in our Agilent CrossLab Group and is responsible for developing consulting solutions for our customer applications. In a prior role at Agilent, Michael was an LCMS Applications Scientist working in the forensics and clinical marketing spaces, and prior to joining Agilent in 1999, he ran a drugs of abuse in hair testing lab.