Abstract
Plants are the main sources of many high-value bioactive terpenoids used in the medical, fragrance, and food industries. Increasing demand for these bioactive plants and their derivative products (e.g., cannabis and extracts thereof) requires robust approaches to verify feedstock, identify product adulteration, and ensure product safety. Reported here are single-laboratory validation details for a robust testing method to quantitate select terpenes and terpenoids in dry plant materials and terpenoid-containing vaping liquids (e.g., a derivative product) using high-temperature headspace gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, with glycerol used as a headspace solvent. Validated method recoveries were 75–103%, with excellent repeatability (relative standard deviation (RSD) < 5%) and intermediate precision (RSD < 12%). The use of high-temperature headspace (180 °C) permitted terpene and terpenoid profiles to be monitored at temperatures consistent with vaping conditions.
Highlights
Medicinal and psychoactive plants have been used throughout human history, with bioactive small molecules, known as natural products or specialized metabolites, being the key components that elicit biological effects
The stable working conditions for the system were optimized by establishing analyte recoveries and response repeatability
The method used for the cross-validation is an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited method for quantitating terpenes in plant material based on a hexane extraction, followed by direct analysis of the organic extract using gas chromatography (GC)−tandem mass spectrometry
Summary
Medicinal and psychoactive plants have been used throughout human history, with bioactive small molecules, known as natural products or specialized metabolites, being the key components that elicit biological effects. We present the use of GC−MS with high-temperature headspace sampling for the quantitation of select terpenes and terpenoids in plant samples and e-juices.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
