Leaching of cannabinoids from Cannabis sativa flowers using a pH-controlled aqueous solvent: Study of important parameters

Abstract

This study investigates the leaching of cannabinoids, primarily in their acidic forms, from Cannabis sativa using a pH-controlled aqueous solvent. Key factors including the initial form of cannabis biomass (fresh vs. dry, ground vs. unground), solvent pH and ionic concentration (NaCl content), solid-to-liquid (S/L) ratio, leaching kinetics and temperature were assessed. The results indicated that the highest cannabinoid yield is obtained from fresh flowers, eliminating the need for drying and grinding, pre-treatment steps that are both time-consuming and energy-intensive. Peleg's model was applied to describe the leaching kinetics, demonstrating a high correlation (R2 ≥ 0.98) with experiment..