A Peer-Reviewed Workflow for the Analysis of Cannabis-Infused Chocolates

The successful analysis of cannabis infused products depends on implementing optimized workflows that are tuned according to the matrix and analytes of interest.  At Restek, we understand that cannabis testing labs demand reliable information to help them make the right choices when developing robust methods capable of complying with stringent regulations. With this in mind, we developed a simple approach for the determination of pesticides, mycotoxins, and cannabinoids in chocolate samples. Briefly, analytes were extracted from 0.5 g of pulverized chocolate using 3 mL of organic solvent. For the analysis of pesticides and mycotoxins, clean-up steps employing a C18 solid-phase extraction cartridge and dispersive solid-phase extraction sorbents were implemented. Gas chromatography amenable pesticides were analyzed using low-pressure gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry which allowed for a total method run of 12 min. Both liquid chromatography and gas chromatography instrumental methods had the same analysis time, ensuring satisfactory sample throughput. For the determination of cannabinoids, a dilution of the original organic extract collected for pesticides and mycotoxins analysis (and prior to any clean-up step) was used. Excellent results in terms of linearity, accuracy, and precision were obtained for all target analytes. For more details, check out the full article https://analyticalsciencejournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jssc.202001265