Water Soluble CBD: Helpful or Hype?
The cannabis beverage market has seen a great deal of demand but has often failed to deliver a satisfying product – until now. The emergence of water-soluble cannabinoids, like Cannabidiol (CBD), has made it possible for manufacturers to create a more consistent and enjoyable beverage product, and it holds potential for the production of infused edibles as well. But how does water soluble CBD work, and how can labs test these products for purity and potency?
In this blog, you will learn:
How water soluble CBD differs from other CBD extracts and products
How water soluble CBD is made
Challenges faced by laboratories when testing water soluble CBD
What is water soluble CBD?
A simple fact in chemistry is that oil and water are incompatible and do not mix. This can be difficult in the beverage and food industries, where making lipids like oil soluble is sometimes necessary. This process, known as emulsification, is also relevant to the cannabis industry, especially as it relates to the production of infused beverages.
When hydrophobic (or lipophilic) compounds like phytocannabinoids are introduced to water, the tendency is for them to segregate, separating from the water and clustering into groups that make it difficult, if not impossible, to blend the compounds throughout the mixture.
This has proved challenging for the cannabis beverage industry because water and oil do not form a homogenous mixture. However, the introduction of emulsification techniques has enabled cannabis producers to create water soluble cannabinoids, which are more easily blended throughout a water-based medium.
This development is especially beneficial for cannabis foods and beverages production. The development of water soluble CBD has enabled the production of new types of cannabis beverage products, from coffee to beer to infused water. Water soluble CBD comes in the form of powders or liquid additives, which can be introduced to other beverages or liquids to infuse them with cannabinoids. Water soluble CBD may also offer improved bioavailability over non-soluble CBD.
As a result of these benefits, water soluble CBD is quickly becoming a hot topic among beverage manufacturers. Cannabis testing labs will be required to test products that contain water soluble CBD as this new innovation increasingly hits the market.
How is water soluble CBD made?
As hydrophobic compounds, cannabinoids don’t mix well with water. Some hydrophobic compounds, like lipids, tend to cluster together when introduced to water, creating molecular structures throughout the water-based medium. These molecular structures are called micelles, and they often lead to an uneven distribution of compounds.
However, a technique called sonication uses sound waves to break these micelles down into smaller sizes, dispersing the micelles more evenly throughout the water-based medium and improving the overall homogeneity of the product. In some cases, these micelles can become smaller than 100 nanometers.
Unfortunately, though, cannabinoids like CBD do not naturally tend to form micelles like other hydrophobic compounds. An extra step is needed in the process to make cannabinoids like CBD water soluble. This strategy involves the use of natural and/or synthetic emulsification agents, which are commonly used in cooking and baking. Emulsifiers encapsulate compounds like CBD and prompt them to create micelles. From there, the size of the micelles can be controlled to more evenly distribute the compounds throughout the medium.
The resulting product is water soluble CBD that can be mixed into water and evenly dispersed for consistent, predictable portions.
Testing processes for water soluble CBD
Testing for water soluble CBD is a bit more complicated than running tests on non-soluble cannabinoids. Instead of employing typical phytocannabinoid profiling techniques, labs must extract water soluble CBD from the liquid and use special equipment to detect such low levels of cannabinoids. This process involves the use of both high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry (MS), which can detect water soluble cannabinoids throughout a product.
Additionally, when it comes to cannabis beverages especially, it is important to determine whether cannabinoids remain evenly distributed throughout the product. This can be done with a homogeneity test, which analyzes whether phytocannabiniods are consistently dispensed throughout a product. Thanks to the smaller size of the micelles in emulsified cannabis products, water soluble CBD is generally fairly evenly dispersed throughout the product, offering water soluble CBD producers a distinct advantage over other types of infused beverages. Demonstrating that advantage through the results of a homogeneity test can set a cannabis beverage brand apart in the eyes of the consumer.
Testing water soluble CBD beverages builds consumer trust
As the demand for CBD products continues to grow in the U.S., so too does the need to provide accurate, reliable, and thorough testing to ensure that products meet expected standards for consumer safety. Particularly when it comes to CBD derived from federally legal industrial hemp, unclear standards can cause confusion and uncertainty in the marketplace.
As a purveyor of water soluble CBD based beverages, it is in your interest to offer full transparency to customers who want to know that their products are potent and safe to consume. True Labs for Cannabis offers meticulous, detailed testing that gives consumers a trusted account of what is in their product. All clients are held to stringent standards that prioritize the health and well-being of your end consumer, and as the standards for hemp CBD product testing evolve, we will be one step ahead to ensure that your products are held to the highest available industry standards. Contact True Labs for Cannabis to explore how our New Jersey-based laboratory can help you.