Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review
In recent years, cannabis (<i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.) has been legalized by many countries for production, processing, and use considering its tremendous medical and industrial applications. Cannabis contains more than a hundred biomolecules (cannabinoids) which have the potentiality to...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Bioengineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/9/8/364 |
| _version_ | 1797439475800866816 |
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| author | Pabitra Chandra Das Alec Roger Vista Lope G. Tabil Oon-Doo Baik |
| author_facet | Pabitra Chandra Das Alec Roger Vista Lope G. Tabil Oon-Doo Baik |
| author_sort | Pabitra Chandra Das |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent years, cannabis (<i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.) has been legalized by many countries for production, processing, and use considering its tremendous medical and industrial applications. Cannabis contains more than a hundred biomolecules (cannabinoids) which have the potentiality to cure different chronic diseases. After harvesting, cannabis undergoes different postharvest operations including drying, curing, storage, etc. Presently, the cannabis industry relies on different traditional postharvest operations, which may result in an inconsistent quality of products. In this review, we aimed to describe the biosynthesis process of major cannabinoids, postharvest operations used by the cannabis industry, and the consequences of postharvest operations on the cannabinoid profile. As drying is the most important post-harvest operation of cannabis, the attributes associated with drying (water activity, equilibrium moisture content, sorption isotherms, etc.) and the significance of novel pre-treatments (microwave heating, cold plasma, ultrasound, pulse electric, irradiation, etc.) for improvement of the process are thoroughly discussed. Additionally, other operations, such as trimming, curing, packaging and storage, are discussed, and the effect of the different postharvest operations on the cannabinoid yield is summarized. A critical investigation of the factors involved in each postharvest operation is indeed key for obtaining quality products and for the sustainable development of the cannabis industry. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:53:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-68e3920ac7c9490fb24856c803404cab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2306-5354 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T11:53:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bioengineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-68e3920ac7c9490fb24856c803404cab2023-11-30T23:12:16ZengMDPI AGBioengineering2306-53542022-08-019836410.3390/bioengineering9080364Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A ReviewPabitra Chandra Das0Alec Roger Vista1Lope G. Tabil2Oon-Doo Baik3Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, CanadaDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, CanadaDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, CanadaDepartment of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, CanadaIn recent years, cannabis (<i>Cannabis sativa</i> L.) has been legalized by many countries for production, processing, and use considering its tremendous medical and industrial applications. Cannabis contains more than a hundred biomolecules (cannabinoids) which have the potentiality to cure different chronic diseases. After harvesting, cannabis undergoes different postharvest operations including drying, curing, storage, etc. Presently, the cannabis industry relies on different traditional postharvest operations, which may result in an inconsistent quality of products. In this review, we aimed to describe the biosynthesis process of major cannabinoids, postharvest operations used by the cannabis industry, and the consequences of postharvest operations on the cannabinoid profile. As drying is the most important post-harvest operation of cannabis, the attributes associated with drying (water activity, equilibrium moisture content, sorption isotherms, etc.) and the significance of novel pre-treatments (microwave heating, cold plasma, ultrasound, pulse electric, irradiation, etc.) for improvement of the process are thoroughly discussed. Additionally, other operations, such as trimming, curing, packaging and storage, are discussed, and the effect of the different postharvest operations on the cannabinoid yield is summarized. A critical investigation of the factors involved in each postharvest operation is indeed key for obtaining quality products and for the sustainable development of the cannabis industry.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/9/8/364cannabiscannabinoidspostharvestdryingcuringstorage |
| spellingShingle | Pabitra Chandra Das Alec Roger Vista Lope G. Tabil Oon-Doo Baik Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review Bioengineering cannabis cannabinoids postharvest drying curing storage |
| title | Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review |
| title_full | Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review |
| title_fullStr | Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review |
| title_short | Postharvest Operations of Cannabis and Their Effect on Cannabinoid Content: A Review |
| title_sort | postharvest operations of cannabis and their effect on cannabinoid content a review |
| topic | cannabis cannabinoids postharvest drying curing storage |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/9/8/364 |
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