A Validated Low-LOQ Study of Cannabinoid Content in Cold-Pressed Hemp
Seed Oil (CPHSO) Manufactured in North America
Abstract
A study of cannabinoid content in commercially available cold-pressed
hemp seed oil (CPHSO) manufactured in North America and assayed using a
validated low-LOQ analytical method with UHPLC-MS/MS quantitation was
conducted. Thirty CPHSO samples from small, medium, and large-scale
manufacturers were voluntarily submitted. Samples were produced from
eleven known cultivars grown in three Canadian provinces and six US
States, plus one sample from seeds imported from Poland and pressed in
the USA. Oil density was measured for each sample, as were the content
of sixteen cannabinoids with validated commercial reference standards,
and reported in parts-per-million (ppm). Observational and statistical
methods were used to examine variances in analyte concentrations,
demonstrating significant differences in cannabinoid concentrations
between samples. Several per-sample and per-analyte heatmaps aided in
the visual examination of variances. A two-phase series of linear
regressions were performed on normally distributed cannabinoids with raw
and trimmed data sets to determine if content variations correlated to
manufacturer cleaning, handling, and storage procedures, or if the
variation was influenced more by cultivar. The research findings suggest
that variance in cannabinoid content is likely most influenced by
cultivar, but do not rule out contributions by supplier handling and
processing techniques.