Can Ultrasonic Device Assist Extraction of Cannabinoids?

Can ultrasonic device assist extraction of cannabinoids?

Summary

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) improves the extraction efficiency of solvents and when applied to cannabis biomass, it reduces the time required for extraction. This reduces costs and potential cannabinoid losses due to degradation. In addition, it is considered a green method due to low solvent usage.

Abstract

Industrial hemp (Cannabis spp.) has many compounds of interest with potential medical benefits. Among these compounds, cannabinoids have become the focus of attention, especially acidic cannabinoids. The focus is shifting to acidic cannabinoids due to their lack of psychoactive properties. The cannabis plant produces acidic cannabinoids, and the hemp plant produces low levels of psychoactive cannabinoids. Therefore, utilizing cannabis for acidic cannabinoid extraction would eliminate the need for decarboxylation as a source of cannabinoids prior to extraction. Using solvent extraction is ideal for obtaining acidic cannabinoids because their solubility in solvents such as supercritical CO2 is limited due to the high pressure and temperature required to achieve their solubility constant. Another method that aims to increase solubility is ultrasound-assisted extraction. In this protocol, the effects of solvent polarity (acetonitrile 0.46, ethanol 0.65, methanol 0.76, and water 1.00) and concentration (20%, 50%, 70%, 90%, and 100%) on the efficiency of ultrasound-assisted extraction were investigated. The results showed that water was the most effective and acetonitrile was the least efficient solvent. Ethanol was further examined because it has the lowest toxicity and is generally regarded as safe (GRAS). Surprisingly, 50% ethanol in water was the most effective ethanol concentration for extracting the maximum amount of cannabinoids from cannabis. The cannabidiolic acid concentration increased by 28% compared to 100% ethanol and by 23% compared to 100% acetonitrile. Although 50% ethanol was determined to be the most effective concentration for our application, the method was also shown to be effective for alternative solvents. 

Therefore, the proposed method is considered to be effective and rapid for the extraction of acidic.