What is cannabinomics and what does it mean for cannabis strains in the future?

It’s the year 2022, where cannabis laws are becoming more flexible by the day, and adequate and accurate information about the natural herb is available to all. While we are all grateful for the increase in cannabis laws and regulations, there is still a need for more scientific research into the natural herb. For this reason, today we will pay special attention to cannabinomics and its use in the analysis of cannabis strains.

Read on as we explore what this scientific process entails and how its use can benefit the entire cannabis industry at large.

What is cannabinomy?

It’s safe to say that cannabinomy isn’t exactly a word used by the majority of cannabis enthusiasts, and that’s because it’s mostly a scientific term. Cannabinomics refers to the scientific approach of using mass spectrometry and statistical analysis to distinguish between available types of cannabis. More specifically, the scientific process involves using analytical methods to identify phytochemical markers that can be used to distinguish between cannabis strains.

The common knowledge of most cannabis users is that the difference between cannabis strains largely boils down to whether it’s sativa, indica, or a mix of the two. While this may be true in principle, there are still more differences between cannabis strains than the species from which they are derived. For this reason, many cannabis breeders and researchers over time have used THC and CBD concentration as the main marker in distinguishing strains.

Using THC and CBD as the main markers to distinguish cannabis strains has been very helpful in terms of both research, cultivation and use. This is because it helps the grower and/or user get an idea of ​​what to expect from the herb. However, there is still room for differentiation of cannabis strains beyond THC and CBD, which is where cannabinomics come into play. The process uses compounds that are less prominent than THC and CBD to analyze and differentiate different cannabis strains.

A closer look at cannabinomics?

Cannabinoids might be the most debated component in the cannabis plant matrix due to their psychoactive and medicinal effects; However, this does not mean that they are the only compounds present in the matrix of the cannabis plant. Other important phytochemicals include terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, lignans, and phytosterols. These chemicals play a special role in synergistically producing the medicinal effects of cannabis in the treatment of pain, metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, seizures, cardiovascular disease, and more. The obvious benefits of this herb have accelerated the pace of scientific research into available cannabis strains, how they produce their effects, and other possible medicinal effects that have yet to be discovered. With over 10 articles published daily, the demand for scientific literature on cannabis is ever increasing and proper differentiation and identification of cannabis strains is key to meeting this demand.

The Science of Cannabinomics

As already mentioned, cannabinomics tries to use numerous metabolites that are less prominent than THC and CBD to analyze different cannabis strains. Cannabinomics is therefore becoming a more comprehensive approach and is gradually gaining acceptance in plant science research. The approach uses either liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) for detection. The detection and annotation process is also aided by the use of bioinformatics and statistical analysis to classify the chemotypes and identify other phytochemicals present.

The scientific process of cannabinomics begins with the identification and collection of the plant material to be used. A metabolomic analysis is then carried out using suitable materials while maintaining good laboratory practice. The products then go through a data mining process using the available analysis tools. The results obtained with the analysis tools can be used for strain genotyping, quantification of the main phytocannabinoids and other statistical analyses.

Advantages of cannabinomics over other analytical approaches

Before we dive into the benefits of cannabinomy over other approaches, we need to address some of the barriers to correctly identifying phytocannabinoids. Few phytocannabinoids are commercially available and those that are available are very expensive. There are also national regulation restrictions on some standards that limit studies to the use of internal databases or mass spectral libraries.

The first advantage of cannabinomics over other approaches is that it reveals important discriminatory links between strains. By properly annotating and recognizing these compounds, cannabinomics helps improve and accelerate the biological exploration of such strains. It also helps characterize possible entourage effects of such discriminatory molecules in the cultivars analyzed.

The second advantage of cannabinomics over other analytical approaches is that it helps uncover distinctive markers of different cannabis strains. While a variety of cannabis phytochemicals have been identified, there are still numerous markers specific to each strain that have yet to be identified. Cannabinomics unravel such signature markers using independent heat map analysis and Anova testing.

Cannabinomics also helps to easily classify analyzed strains depending on quantified phytocannabinoids. There are different types of phytocannabinoids as they exist as different isomers and the labile nature of their acidic form makes this classification important for further research purposes.

There are a plethora of other benefits that come with using cannabinomics as a research tool to analyze cannabis tables. For this reason, the approach is gaining wide acceptance and is increasingly being used in various studies aimed at analyzing the complex matrix of phytochemicals in the cannabis plant.

bottom line

There is still a long way to go when using cannabinomics in terms of phytochemical detection and annotation. This is because the analysis is not just limited to phytocannabinoids, but instead extends to other compounds like terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, etc.

The knowledge gained through cannabinomy will be crucial in cultivating plants with the right chemotype and genotype needed for food and material purposes. Knowledge from cannabinomy is also important in the medical world as it helps improve the breeding of cannabis strains with greater expression of minor phytocannabinoids. This will further help correlate therapeutic effects with the perceived entourage effect of such cannabinoids.

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