Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Cannabinoid, Terpene, and Moisture Content of Cannabis Biomass

Chandrani G. Majumdar; Mahmoud A. ElSohly; Elsayed A. Ibrahim; Mostafa A. Elhendawy; Donald Stanford; Suman Chandra; Amira S. Wanas; Mohamed M. Radwan

doi:10.3390/molecules28237710

Molecules (Nov 2023)

Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Cannabinoid, Terpene, and Moisture Content of Cannabis Biomass

Chandrani G. Majumdar,
Mahmoud A. ElSohly,
Elsayed A. Ibrahim,
Mostafa A. Elhendawy,
Donald Stanford,
Suman Chandra,
Amira S. Wanas,
Mohamed M. Radwan

Affiliations

Chandrani G. Majumdar: National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Mahmoud A. ElSohly: National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Elsayed A. Ibrahim: National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Mostafa A. Elhendawy: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Donald Stanford: National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Suman Chandra: National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Amira S. Wanas: National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
Mohamed M. Radwan: National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28237710
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 28, no. 23
p. 7710

Abstract

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In recent years, cannabis has been proposed and promoted not only as a medicine for the treatment of a variety of illnesses, but also as an industrial crop for different purposes. Being an agricultural product, cannabis inflorescences may be contaminated by environmental pathogens at high concentrations, which might cause health problems if not controlled. Therefore, limits have to be placed on the levels of aerobic bacteria as well as yeast and mold. To ensure the safety of cannabis plant material and related products, a remediation process has to be put in place. Gamma irradiation is a sterilization process mainly used for pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics, agricultural, and herbal products including cannabis plant material. This study was designed to determine the effect of irradiation on the microbial count as well as on the chemical and physical profiles of the cannabis biomass, particularly cannabinoids, terpenes, and moisture content. The full cannabinoid profile was measured by GC/FID and HPLC analysis, while terpene profile and moisture content were determined using GC/MS and Loss on Drying (LoD) methods, respectively. Analyses were conducted on the samples before and after gamma irradiation. The results showed that the minimum and maximum doses were 15 and 20.8 KiloGray (KGY), respectively. Total Aerobic Microbial Count (TAMC) and Total Yeast and Mold Count (TYMC) were determined. The study showed that irradiation has no effect on the cannabinoids and little effect on terpenes and moisture content, but it did result in the virtual sterilization of the plant material, as evidenced by the low levels of bacterial and fungal colony-forming units (CFUs) < 10 after gamma irradiation.

Published in Molecules

ISSN: 1420-3049 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Chemistry: Organic chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules

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