Comprehensive cannabinoid profiling of acid-treated CBD samples and Δ-THC-infused edibles.

Δ-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC) is increasingly popular as a controversial substitute for Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ-THC) in cannabinoid-infused edibles. Δ-THC is prepared from cannabidiol (CBD) by treatment with acids. Side products including Δ-THC and other isomers that might end up in Δ-THC edibles are less studied. In this paper, three orthogonal methods, namely reversed-phase (RP)-UHPLC-DAD/HRMS, normal-phase/argentation (silica-Ag(I))-HPLC-DAD/MS, and GC-FID/MS were developed for analysis of cannabinoid isomers, namely Δ-THC, Δ-THC, CBD, Δ-iso-THC, Δ-iso-THC, and hydrated THC isomers. Eight acid-treated CBD mixtures contained various amounts of Δ-THC (0-89%, w/w%), high levels of Δ-THC (up to 49%), Δ-isoTHC (up to 55%), Δ-iso-THC (up to 17%), and three hydrated THC isomers. Commercial Δ-THC gummies were also analyzed, and issues like overclaimed Δ-THC, excessive Δ-THC, undeclared Δ-iso-THC, and Δ-iso-THC were found. These findings highlight the urgency of improving regulations towards converting CBD to Δ-THC for use as food ingredients.