Characterisation of alkaloids and cannabinoids in plant products

Natural alkaloids are toxic secondary metabolites naturally occurring in approximately one-fifth of the higher plants. The most important sources of plant alkaloids potentially transferable to food are weed plants growing in fields that can contaminate target agricultural commodities at harvest. This report contains the distribution of alkaloids into individual groups according to their basic chemical structure and their occurrence in plants and foods. Attention is also paid to legislation and modern analytical methods used for their determination in various biotic matrices. The particular case studies are focused on the presence of alkaloids in gluten-free foods and in food supplements represented by herbal teas, which, according to the previous research conducted at the Department of Food Analysis and Nutrition of UCT Prague, represent a high risk commodity from the point of view of alkaloids occurrence.

Cannabinoids belong among the broad range of biologically active substances being present in Cannabis plants (Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and Cannabis rudelaris). Currently, the most well-known and most commonly studied cannabinoid is D9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), which has a psychotropic effect on the human organism, and for this reason, its content in foods, including cannabis-based dietary supplements, is regulated. The report is focused on the distribution of all known cannabinoids, their occurrence in plant products, biosynthesis and degradation, legislation, and on the overview of the analytical methods used for their determination. The case studies are targeted at frequently targeted cannabis oils, and so-called CBD oils, containing the optimum ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fatty acids, and in the case of CBD oils, even an increased content of CBD, associated with a number of positive health effects (especially antioxidant, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory) on the human organism.