Hemp-based tea - Impact of preparation technique on major cannabinoids content and consumers' exposure and health risk

The market is currently experiencing an increasing trend regarding the presence of hemp-based food products that mainly contain Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Unlike the Δ9-THC, known for its psychoactive effect, the CBD demands special attention related to so far not sufficiently characterized safety profile. The aim of this study was to quantify the levels of “total” CBD, “total” Δ9-THC and cannabinol (CBN) in hemp-based teas, followed by cannabinoids health risk assessment, as well as to explore the influence of hemp-tea beverages preparation technique on cannabinoids content. The obtained results showed that one of the evaluated dried plant materials can even be classified as the drug type of Cannabis, according to current EU regulations. Furthermore, the ratio of analytically determined total THC in hemp tea beverages and quantities estimated by application of maximum transfer principle ranged 2–60%. If analytically determined levels of “total” Δ9-THC are to be taken into account, the consumption of 64% (9/14) of evaluated beverages would not lead to exceedance of ARfD set for THC (1 μg/kg bw). Furthermore, it was shown that the largest concentration of “total” Δ9-THC can be found in hemp infusions prepared without mixing process (0.07–0.09 mg/100 mL of prepared beverage), while the addition of milk does not lead to presence of higher amounts of cannabinoids in hemp tea preparations.