Critical review on recent trends in cannabinoid determination on cannabis herbal samples: From chromatographic to vibrational spectroscopic techniques

Cannabis has been at the center of scientific attention for some years now. Since its pharmacological potential has been highlighted, cannabis has become a hot topic in research laboratories, leading to the publication of many scientific studies. Focusing on analytical chemistry, an enormous number of analytical methods for cannabinoid (CNB) determination have been published, involving various techniques. However, no globally accepted reference method for CNB determination has yet been chosen. This review aims to identify very recent analytical methods developed to analyze phytocannabinoids in cannabis herbal samples. For certain techniques, stagnation in terms of employed operational conditions can be observed. In this context, a reference method of analysis should be proposed and accepted worldwide to standardize CNB determination. In contrast, for other techniques, we are witnessing a scientific ferment, which is resulting in the development of new interesting analytical options. In this regard, particular focus has been given to these niche techniques, which are now emerging in the analytical panorama of cannabis analysis, offering new important perspectives for the future of cannabis testing. Supercritical fluid chromatography and infrared spectroscopy showed tangible advantages when applied to CNB determination in herbal samples.(c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.