Water Soluble Cannabinoids and How They Work
Water and oil do not mix, a scientific fact that has hindered how certain sectors of the cannabis industry develop products -- until now. The development of water soluble cannabinoids has made it possible for cannabis producers to create water-based products like infused beverages and edibles that have a greater degree of homogeneity, simplifying serving sizes and supporting a more consistent consumption experience.
How are these water soluble cannabinoids created if phytocannabinoids don’t like to mix with water? Read on to learn more about the development of water soluble cannabinoids, why they are important to the legal cannabis industry, and how True Labs for Cannabis tests water soluble cannabinoids for potency and consumer safety.
In this blog, you will learn:
What water soluble cannabinoids are
How water soluble cannabinoid products are created
How laboratories test water soluble cannabinoid products
What are water soluble cannabinoids?
Water soluble cannabinoids are clusters of cannabinoids in water-based solutions that are broken down to smaller sizes through a manufacturing process commonly used in the development of soft drinks and similar foods. As a result of this process, the water soluble cannabinoids are more evenly distributed throughout water-based mixtures, and they may even be more bioavailable once ingested.
Most phytocannabinoids are hydrophobic, meaning they do not mix well with water and tend to cluster together when mixed into a water-based solution. These water-averse clumps lead to uneven distribution, or heterogeneity, throughout the mixture. This makes consistent serving sizes virtually impossible to measure in a cannabis product, which can result in an unexpected or bad consumer experience.
Water soluble cannabinoids are designed to include emulsification components that can mix with water, changing phytocannabinoids from water-averse compounds into more receptive molecules. Once these compounds are made to be water soluble, they can be easily mixed into a cannabis beverage, condiment, or other water-based product in a way that doesn’t leave consumers guessing as to how potent their next mouthful may truly be.
How are water soluble cannabinoids made?
Water soluble cannabinoids are created via a manufacturing process that results in a substance that can be thoroughly mixed in a liquid medium. To better understand the process, it is important to understand the concepts of hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules.
We already know that phytocannabinoids are hydrophobic and do not mix well with water. Hydrophilic molecules are the opposite; they mix easily with water. Cannabis also contains molecules like lipids, which have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic components. These are called amphiphilic compounds, and they hold the key to water soluble cannabinoids.
Amphiphilic compounds cluster into groups known as micelles, which tend to have the hydrophobic parts clustered together on the inside of the micelle while the hydrophilic parts face outward toward the water or water-based solution. And while lipids themselves do not help create water soluble cannabinoids, getting cannabinoids to mimic their amphiphilic behavior does.
Phytocannabinoids are hydrophobic and not amphiphilic. To address this problem, cannabis product manufacturers use natural and/or synthetic emulsifiers, just like in cooking or baking. A common household emulsion is mayonnaise, for example, which uses lecithin as an emulsifier to bind oil and water together. The emulsifiers similarly encapsulate phytocannabinoids like THC or CBD and make them amphiphilic. As a result, the cannabinoids start to form into micelles.
At this point, though, the cannabinoid micelles are still too large to make a heterogeneous cannabinoid-infused water-based solution homogeneous and ready for a consistent consumer experience. To break them down to a smaller size -- and subsequently create a more homogenous mixture -- producers can use temperature, pressure, or even soundwaves (a technique known as sonication) to break down the micelles and evenly disperse them throughout the mixture.
In addition to the improved homogeneity and consistency of experience that water soluble cannabinoids offer consumers, there is also evidence that suggests water soluble cannabinoids also offer increased bioavailability, absorbing faster into the bloodstream due to the small size of the micelles. If this observation holds true, that could mean water soluble cannabinoids take effect more quickly than their non-soluble counterparts.
How do cannabis testing labs test water soluble cannabinoid products?
Testing for water soluble cannabinoids is not the same as typical phytocannabinoid profiling. To test the potency of water soluble cannabinoid products, a cannabis testing lab like True Labs for Cannabis first must extract the cannabinoids from the product. Then, analysts use special equipment to detect the levels of cannabinoids and compare them to the overall volume of the water-based solution. This process involves the use of cutting edge techniques, including high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS), which can detect water soluble cannabinoids throughout a product.
Since water soluble cannabinoids were designed in part to address challenges regarding heterogeneity, another useful test for analyzing these products is a homogeneity test. These tests analyze how evenly distributed water soluble cannabinoids are throughout the entire of a solution or product. Because micelles are so tiny after going through the water soluble cannabinoid manufacturing process, they tend to be more equitably dispersed throughout cannabis products, and producers can demonstrate that fact to consumers through the results of a homogeneity test.
Why cannabis testing is critical in New Jersey and beyond
In newly legalized adult use markets like New Jersey’s, cannabis testing serves as a critical element of building consumer trust and brand loyalty while also adhering to rigorous state mandates regarding safety testing and quality assurance. True Labs for Cannabis is a precision cannabis testing partner for Garden State cannabis producers to not only demonstrate compliance with legal requirements, but also to make clear to customers the quality of each product.
Third-party testing is about more than just meeting the bare minimum set out under state and federal regulations; cannabis product test results can validate brand claims of quality and help achieve a distinct competitive advantage in a new, competitive marketplace. When you want your customers to know the truth about what’s in their cannabis products, choose True Labs for Cannabis as your New Jersey cannabis testing partner.