Cannabinoid-free plants would reduce problems for industrial hemp seed exporters
Hemp growers may someday be able to do away with monitoring the levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their plants, thanks to a new discovery.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have found the chemical pathway that Cannabis sativa plants use to create the cannabinoids. This paves the way for the development of cannabinoid-free industrial hemp.
While hemp is well-known as a fibre crop for textiles, rope and paper, it is often grown in Canada for its seed. Hemp seed is high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and is used in food such as lactose-free hemp milk, breakfast cereals, snack foods and protein supplements for athletes. Hemp oil is also used in skin care products.
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The niche crop is mostly grown on the Prairies with about 40,000 acres grown in 2011, according to statistics from Health Canada.
THC is the active ingredient in marijuana that produces the high effect. Hemp plants contain residual quantities of THC, although at such low levels (below 0.3 percent) that the pyschoactive properties are nonexistent.
However, even trace amounts of THC can cause problems when it comes to export markets and drug regulators.
U of S adjunct professor of biology Jon Page said the road to discovery was unusual, involving two enzymes that are used in a way that hasn’t been seen before.
“What we basically found was a new enzyme that’s involved in making THC and other cannabinoids. It was a fairly high profile discovery in our plant metabolism world because it was an enzyme that was very unexpected.
“What cannabis has done is take a rare fatty acid with a simple, six-carbon chain and use it as a building block to make something chemically complex and pharmacologically active,” he said.
Cannabinoids, such as delta-9 THC, are produced on the flowers of the female plant in tiny hair-like structures called trichomes, the plant’s “chemical factories.” The researchers used genomic analysis of isolated trichome cells to produce a catalog of genes involved in cannabinoid production.
“Once we know some of these gene sequences that are encoding the enzymes of cannabinoid biosynthesis, these become breeding targets. We can use those to fast track breeding and to use genomics in combination with breeding techniques to try to find a way to fully eliminate or reduce further the cannabinoid levels and THC levels in hemp,” Page said.
He estimated it might take four to six years before producers see the new varieties available for field use.
