Dr. Swetha Kaul, Ph.D.

CCIA Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Quality Control Committee
Dr. Swetha Kaul, Ph.D. headshot

Project Goal

Following reports of vaping-related illnesses in the news and a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specifically implicating vitamin E acetate, we saw interest in testing for this compound increase. Our clients were looking for a fast and accurate method for identifying and quantifying vitamin E acetate in vaping products. DCs) in terms of amino acid sequence, drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) and post-translational modifications.

The Challenges

Many labs have developed an LC-UV method for vitamin E acetate. We were hesitant to use this approach because vitamin E is naturally present in cannabis and UV is not ideal for identification.

The solution

We use the SCIEX Triple Quad™ 3500 LC-MS/MS System at our lab because we find it reliable and robust. Since vitamin E and vitamin E acetate are UV active, most labs have developed an LC-UV method for vitamin E acetate. We were hesitant to use this approach, however, because of the complexity of the matrix, which significantly increases the possibility of a false positive result. Using a non-specific detector, such as UV, is not ideal for identification. The specificity of the LC-MS/MS method provided much higher confidence in the analytical results.

The outcome

We developed an accurate and precise method for both vitamin E and vitamin E acetate on the SCIEX Triple Quad 3500 System in a very short amount of time. Vitamin E-d6 was used as an effective internal standard given the high degree of matrix effects seen with vaping products. We also conducted a study investigating over 112 products for vitamin E acetate, and none of the legal cannabis products contained vitamin E acetate at levels above the limits of detection (LOD).

  • “SCIEX produces robust and reliable instrumentation that has been very effective in analyzing complex matrices in a production environment. In addition to the high-quality instrumentation, we have been very satisfied with the service and support that has been made available to us.”

Role

Develop accurate, reliable and validated scientific methods to analyze cannabis products for cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries.

Applications

  • Cannabis and vaping products

SCIEX products

  • SCIEX Triple Quad™ 3500 LC-MS/MS System