Incorporating cannabinoids

into processed foods –

the scientific perspective

Professor Dérick Rousseau

Department of Chemistry and Biology

Ryerson University

Toronto, Canada

April 26, 2019

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Overview of today’s presentation

• Background on your presenter

• Emulsions 101

• Properties of CBDs

• Cannabidiol (CBD) incorporation into foods –

how?

• Liquids, semi-solids and solids

• Challenges & unknowns

• Prospects

• Questions from you, the audience2

Where is Ryerson University?

> 45,000 students,

including > 2,300

Master’s and PhD

students 3

Background⚫ Professor at Ryerson U (1998-present)

⚫ PhD (U Guelph) : 1994-97

⚫ Milkfat crystallization and rheology

⚫ BSc (Laval U) : 1989-93

⚫ BSc in food science & technology

⚫ 150+ publications, 3 patents & 230+

presentations

⚫ Some recent successes:⚫ 2015: New Elsevier journal: Food Structure

⚫ 2016: CIFST Eva award recipient

⚫ 2017: Ryerson Sarwan Sahota award 4

Overview of Rousseau lab

research activities

⚫ Food as Lego blocks →

⚫ Control the formation, texture and stability of food

systems (fats, emulsions, gels, and confectionery) for

applications such as fat reduction and new textures

⚫ Numerous collaborations & industrial partners across

multiple continents

⚫ Current students in lab: 15

⚫ In Ryerson’s newest building:

⚫ Centre for Urban Innovation

Food and Soft Materials

Research Group

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One of top food colloid labs in North America

High-end suite of research tools

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• Composite: blend of ≥ 2 materials

- each has different properties.

• Materials work together to give

the composite unique properties.

• Foods: composites with dispersed

phase in continuous network.

• Continuous phase may be solid or

liquid, and be water or oil-based.

• e.g., gel, fat crystal network

• The dispersed phase may be:

- solid (chocolate)

- liquid (emulsions)

- gaseous (foam)

Matrix:

Continuous network

Filler:

Embedded particles

Composite material:

Filler dispersed in matrix

Sugar crystals

Butter

Cupcake icing

Other examples:

Chocolate

Cookie fillings

Margarine

Salad dressing

Whipped cream

Focus today: emulsions

How we see food: as composites

Why emulsions?

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Oil and water

do not mix…

Defining emulsions

Droplets(dispersed phase)

Continuous

phase

Interface

= adsorbed

emulsifier

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stabilization

There are 2 key emulsion types

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Examples: O/W emulsions: mayonnaise, salad dressing, milk

W/O emulsions: butter, margarine

Oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion

Aqueous

phase

Oil

Interface

Emulsion composition

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⚫ Other compounds⚫ Bioactive compounds

⚫ Drugs, nutraceuticals

⚫ Flavours & aromas

⚫ Oil phase is apolar phase⚫ Triglyceride oil

⚫ Mineral oil

⚫ Aqueous polar phase

(mostly water)

⚫ Dissolved salts

⚫ Thickening or gelling agents

⚫ Optimized surfactant(s)

[emulsifier(s)]O/W emulsion W/O emulsion

Emulsification

⚫ An emulsion is formed when a mixture of two

immiscible liquids produces droplets separated by emulsifiers

⚫ To make stable emulsions, a suitable emulsifier is required

to stabilize the emulsion & encapsulate ‘actives’.

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Primary

Homogenization

Water

Oil

Bulk materials Coarse emulsion

Secondary

Homogenization

Fine emulsion

Emulsion size distribution

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Source: https://www.microfluidicscorp.com/applications/nanoemulsions/

Nano-emulsion Micron-sized emulsion

Average droplet

size: ~ 100nm

Average droplet

size: ~ 5 microns

Methods to produce emulsions

⚫ Shaking and stirring ($)

⚫ Very coarse emulsions

⚫ High shear mixing ($)

⚫ Coarse emulsions

⚫ Valve homogenization (like milk) ($$)

⚫ Fine micron-sized emulsions

⚫ Microfluidization ($$$)

⚫ Nano-emulsions

⚫ Sonication ($$$)

⚫ nano-emulsions, less common14

Emulsion stability

⚫ How long do emulsions stay stable?

⚫ Emulsions may be:• Temporary, e.g., oil mixed with vinegar (vinaigrette)

• Semi-Permanent, e.g., pourable salad dressing

• Permanent, e.g., mayonnaise

⚫ Physical and chemical breakdown

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⚫ Causes: large interfacial area,

ingredient imbalance, agitation

⚫ Creaming: through buoyancy,

dispersed phase leaves

suspension (e.g., settled cream)

⚫ Flocculation: droplets aggregate

via interparticle forces, do not

merge

Emulsion physical breakdown

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⚫ Coalescence: droplets merge,

leave suspension (e.g., vinaigrette)

⚫ Phase inversion: addition of

dispersed phase inverts emulsion

(e.g., churning butter from cream)

⚫ Stabilized by thickening agents

(e.g., gums) or emulsifiers

Emulsion physical breakdown

⚫ Chemical breakdown → rancidity

⚫ Hydrolytic rancidity

⚫ Lipase activity results in free fatty acid formation

⚫ Oxidative rancidity

⚫ Radical oxidation due to action of air, light, metal ions

⚫ If the emulsion is light sensitive, a protective

container may be used.

⚫ For emulsions susceptible to oxidative

decomposition, antioxidants may be included in the

formulation. 18

Emulsion chemical breakdown

Enter nano-emulsions

⚫ Ultra small size (10-300 nm)

⚫ Small size = very high surface area of droplets

⚫ High surface area = high absorption in

bloodstream.

⚫ Ability to cross biological barriers (e.g., cells, BBB)

⚫ Increased solubility of incorporated compounds

⚫ Applications: cosmetics, pharma, and foods.

⚫ Food apps: vitamin or fatty acid-fortified or flavoured

products (e.g. essential oils).

⚫ Generally, a very ‘hot’ research area19

Emulsions vs nanoemulsions

⚫ Regular emulsions (0.5 μm < d < 50 μm)

⚫ Most will break down within days or weeks

⚫ Visually opaque

⚫ High surface area (3 m2/g)

⚫ Nano-emulsions (10 nm < d < 300 nm)

⚫ Long-term stability against breakdown

⚫ Visually transparent

⚫ Higher surface area (30 m2/g)

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Properties of O/W nano-emulsions

⚫ Oily droplet interior makes them

attractive option for transporting

lipophilic compounds such as CBD

⚫ Droplets smaller than 100 nm are

optically translucent, achieving

progressively higher degree of clarity,

and stability (months to years).

⚫ Typically low viscosity, and high stability

against sedimentation, creaming,

coalescence, and flocculation

⚫ Enable formulation of stable products. 21

`

~50 nm

How are nano-emulsions made?

⚫ In the same way as regular emulsions!

⚫ Key difference is intensity of homogenization

process → much higher with nanoemulsions22

Primary

Homogenization

Water

Oil

Bulk materials Coarse emulsion

Secondary

Homogenization

Fine emulsion Nano-emulsion

Some properties of CBDs

⚫ CBD ≠ THC

⚫ CBDs: non-intoxicating cannabis components

extracted from cannabis or hemp

⚫ Key properties

⚫ Series of hydrophobic compounds

⚫ Oil-soluble

⚫ CBD flavour is an “acquired taste”.

⚫ Taste due to group of compounds also extracted from

cannabis with taste.

⚫ Thermal and oxidative stability

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CBD as a food ingredient:

Will it affect my product attributes?

⚫ Incorporation into foods at low levels (e.g., 10

mg, though no consensus)

⚫ ‘go slow, start low’

⚫ Effects on:

⚫ Sensory (smell, taste, mouthfeel, appearance)

⚫ Shelf life

⚫ Correct dosage, purity and dispersibility key

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Getting CBD into your foods

⚫ Is the food water or oil-based?

⚫ Food state: Liquid, semi-solid or solid?

⚫ Will CBD be added as-is or in carrier

oil/solvent?

⚫ Carrier oil: not interfere with appearance, taste,

and stability of the final product.

⚫ Examples of oils: canola, coconut, olive

⚫ Addition as free-flowing, encapsulated powder

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Incorporating CBDs in beverages

⚫ Non-alcoholic beverages

⚫ Coffee, juice, soft drinks

⚫ CBD can be added as dilute nano-emulsion (remains

optically clear)

⚫ Fat-rich beverages (e.g., butter coffee craze)

⚫ Alcoholic beverages

⚫ CBD highly soluble in ethanol (> 30 mg/ml)

⚫ Possibly added as ethanolic solution

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Semi-solid foods

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Image: candywarehouse.com/

agar + oil

Agar gel Agar emulsion gel with

dispersed oil droplets

Procedure:

1) Hot emulsification of CBD in carrier oil added into molten gel matrix

2) This is followed by cooling to solidify the gel matrix

Gel desserts (e.g., Jell-O)

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• Jell-O available for over 100 years

• CBD capsules already available

3D network

+ emulsified

oil droplets

The gelatin protein chains lock the oil droplets in place

CBD,

mmmm

Solid matrices - chocolate

⚫ Chocolate is a complex matrix consisting of particulate

ingredients (sugar, cocoa and milk powder) dispersed

throughout a cocoa butter phase that contains an

emulsifier (typically lecithin)

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Chocolate imaged with

fluorescence microscopy

Pink – cocoa powder

Yellow – milk protein

Black – sugar/fat crystals

Blue – liquid cocoa butter

CBD incorporation into

chocolate

⚫ As CBD is oil-soluble, it may be incorporated

directly into the cocoa butter phase of

chocolate

⚫ Important to ensure full dispersibility of CBD

into cocoa butter fat phase

⚫ Currently little published literature on addition

of CBD to chocolate

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Challenges & unknowns

⚫ Effective dosage critical for industry

⚫ CBD distribution within the food

⚫ How well-dispersed is the CBD?

⚫ Assessment:

⚫ Gas chromatography (GC) and High Performance

Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

⚫ Does CBD interact with ingredients in foods?

⚫ If so, does bioavailability change with food matrix?

⚫ Role of recent eating

⚫ Absorption : oral vs. enteric vs. intestinal 31

Prospects

⚫ Existing approaches can easily handle

incorporation of CBD into foods

⚫ Challenges:

⚫ Dosage and distribution within foods

⚫ Characterization – chromatography or spectroscopy

⚫ Huge field that is expanding quickly

⚫ Wild west: Product development in edibles

industry lacks oversight

⚫ safety, traceability, and sustainability.

⚫ Testing quality & concentration of edibles

⚫ Ethics of CBD delivery in candy (children) 32

Acknowledgments

⚫ John Lillard, CEO, Positive Food Solutions

⚫ Belinda Élysée-Collen, Canadian Sales

Manager - Food Ingredients, Dempsey Corp.

⚫ Nigel Sanders, consultant, confectionery

industry

⚫ Dr. Ryan West, Ryerson University

⚫ Prof. Lesley Campbell, Ryerson University

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