Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Ingredients

CANNABIS PRODUCTS | MARCH 2019

Best practices for developing legal cannabis beverages

With so many benefits, it’s easy to see why hemp-derived ingredients like CBD are finding their way into so many beverages.

By Lindsay Wisener
Lumen Hemp Elixir Beverages
Courtesy of Lumen
Right On Brands Water
Courtesy of Right On Brands
Flying Dog Brewery Hop Chronic
Courtesy of Flying Dog Brewery
Lumen Hemp Elixir Beverages
Right On Brands Water
Flying Dog Brewery Hop Chronic
March 13, 2019

The Farm Bill’s recent passing gives a green light for products to include hemp extracts. The legalization of hemp couldn’t come at a better time, as functional beverages—especially those deriving their benefits from plant sources—are rising in popularity.

Hemp’s “halo” has positioned the plant as a health and wellness powerhouse—an ingredient that shows promise for helping with inflammation, relaxation and better focus. With so many benefits, it’s easy to see why this newest superfood has found its way into so many beverage categories.
But as beverage developers looking at new and novel ingredients, there are a few key questions we have to ask ourselves first.

 

Raw Material Questions

To date, many products and trends referencing cannabis are emphasizing cannabidiol (CBD) content. However, the actual raw material is often some form of broad-spectrum hemp extract, or some form of the hemp seed.

Diligent developers should thoroughly investigate raw materials and select the right material to provide the desired consumer benefits while working well in the beverage. In general, hemp extracts are created using an extraction process. A few different methods of extraction and isolation exist. The most popular involves CO2 extraction followed by chromatography methods for isolation of specific compounds.

The extraction process filters out waxes and some of the unwanted parts of the extract and oil (for example, phytochemicals and chlorophyll). Additional isolation may remove some of the terpenes or other cannabinoids, depending on whether the end raw material is a broad-spectrum extract or an isolate form of CBD, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or another cannabinoid.

Today’s market shows the variety of ways that hemp and hemp-derived ingredients are being used in beverages. There are two energy drinks—Canna Energy and Rocky Mountain High—that label their hemp as “hemp seed oil extract” and “hemp seed extract,” respectively, with no reference to any CBD content. Another company, Elev8 Brands, sells a coffee infused with hemp protein, as well as tea that contains hemp seed oil. Soda makers such as Sprig and Cannabidiol Creations use CBD isolates.

CBD Naturals says its Hemp Rain flavored sparkling waters use phytonutrients and terpenes derived from hemp. Its nutrition label simply lists water and “natural flavors.” The company describes its N2O offering as a “Lemon Ice Neuroactive Cannabinoid Beverage.” This infused water features the company’s proprietary EndoActives blend of a “Cannabaceae cannabinoid colloidal complex” per the ingredient statement (Cannabaceae is the family of plants that includes cannabis, but also hops and other plants).

New to the market are Lumen Hemp Elixirs. These are 2-fluid-ounce shots in two functional benefit varieties, called Immune and Restore. Lumen Hemp Elixirs feature cold-pressed “hemp juice,” as noted in the ingredient statement. The flowers and leaves are juiced. No extraction method is used, and the seeds are excluded from the juicing process.

This beverage category also is likely to see pairings with other active ingredients, such as B vitamins, guarana extract, caffeine, L-theanine and many others. While providing additional nutritional benefits, the addition of other active ingredients can be an advantage for developers—particularly for beverages where consumers aren’t expecting a clear product.

 

Solubility Solutions

Solubility of raw materials will determine the functional properties of the raw material in a beverage format.

Many of today’s trending functional ingredients aren’t soluble. These include fat-soluble vitamins, insoluble fiber, oils and some plant proteins. Hemp extracts, including many CBD and THC ingredients, also fall into this category. This creates issues for beverage developers charged with creating an infused product that is uniform, clear and free of off-flavors.

Oil will not ready disperse in the water. If left alone, the oil droplets will flocculate together, followed by coalescence and eventual creaming.

To avoid this, developers must create an oil-in-water emulsion. There are a couple of mechanisms to create the emulsion, which may be used separately or together. The first is the use of a chemical emulsifier. Lecithin—derived from various oils—often is used for this purpose. However, other ingredients, such as protein, also can make great emulsifiers.

Although the emulsifier will create interaction between the hydrophobic oil and the hydrophilic water, this sometimes isn’t enough to create a stable emulsion. Large droplet sizes will contribute to destabilization.

Droplets of smaller size will slow the destabilization process. This is achieved using high-pressure homogenization—using pressure to push product through a very small orifice and create very small particle sizes. The result is a very small oil droplet that has both more surface area to engage an emulsifier, as well as more space between droplets. Traditional dairy processing homogenization achieves a particle size less than 1 µm. This results in a stable emulsion—with protein serving as the emulsifier—and improved mouthfeel.

While this is a longstanding method in the industry, the evolution of nanotechnology now provides other opportunities and ingredient solutions. The cannabis beverage industry has taken advantage of this technology, and we are now seeing commercialized examples. The advantage to creating nano-sized particles is two-fold in cannabis beverages. First, processors are able to achieve a completely clear beverage while incorporating oil-soluble components. Secondly, the very small particle size has been shown to absorb faster into the cells during digestion—and this leads to faster effects of the active cannabis ingredients.

Traditional high-pressure homogenization and use of an emulsifier works well for fortified beverages containing other solid materials where clarity is not an issue. However, it is difficult at neutral pH to achieve a clear beverage with insoluble ingredients. That’s because emulsifier use will create a cloudy beverage.

The bottled water industry is the best illustration of this, with several hemp and/or hemp-derived CBD infused brands on the market. These products have achieved a completely clear appearance. Many companies are touting proprietary processes and/or ingredients achieved via nanotechnology. Products such as Quantum PCR H20, from Quantum Dynamics LLC, specifically call out the use of nanotechnology in marketing materials. 

 

Accurate Delivery

Finally, beverage product developers must ask themselves what they are trying to deliver. Products such as Hemp Hydrate deliver 3 mg of hemp extract per 16.9 fluid ounce bottle, while Endo Water delivers 10 mg of hemp oil in a similar 16.9 fluid ounce serving. Elsewhere, VYBES infused water has a claim of 15 mg of hemp CBD per 14 fluid ounce bottle.

Delivering broad-spectrum extracts is a matter of adding the right amount of the total extract. The actual chemical makeup of broad-spectrum extracts could differ based on the growing conditions of the plant, time of harvest, plant variety, method of extraction, etc. The raw material will have batch-to-batch variation. Although this may be acceptable for broad-spectrum extracts, those looking for pain relief will be looking for consistency in delivery of the active ingredient. Therefore, an isolate will need be used.

Developing products to deliver a certain amount of one active component—such as CBD or THC—will require additional research and knowledge of the raw material. If the active component is prone to degradation, developers will need to understand the rate of degradation and formulate accordingly to ensure delivery of the full amount of the active component at the end of shelf life. To ensure this happens, the end product would need to undergo testing for release and be subjected to shelf life testing to determine the target end of shelf life based on degradation of the active component. In addition, the method for testing will need to be readily available and somewhat cost-effective.

Delivery of an active ingredient for medical use in a beverage format is not something commonly seen in the market. One exception is Hop Chronic THC infused non-alcoholic IPA beer. It was developed by Green Leaf Medical and Flying Dog Brewery for patients located in Maryland. It is intended for medicinal use.

Although not marketed for medical use, Colorado’s Stillwater Brands sells Ripple dissolvable THC packets. They use a THC isolate that claims faster absorption, and it can be used in edibles and drinks alike. This method of delivery could be ideal for medical users, as they would be getting a known amount of the active component in a way that is convenient.

This article was originally posted on www.preparedfoods.com.
KEYWORDS: CBD functional beverages hemp products

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Lindsay Wisener is the founder and principal consultant at WiseBev, LLC, a beverage consulting and development company. She obtained her B.S. and M.S. degrees in food science from Purdue University. Lindsay has 10 years of experience developing functional and nutritional beverages. She can be reached at lindsay@wisebev.com or via phone at 765-729-9843.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Testing & Analysis
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Personal Hygiene/Handwashing
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Risk Assessment
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • mold
    Sponsored byIFC

    Tackling Mold Remediation in Food Processing Plants

  • a worker in a food processing plant
    Sponsored byLPS® DETEX®

    How a Beverage Facility Improved Food Safety and Compliance with Detectable Packaging Solutions

  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

Popular Stories

sunflower oil

Louisiana Passes ‘MAHA’ Bill Targeting More Than 40 Ingredients, Including Seed Oils, Dyes, Sweeteners

smoked salmon in oil

Study Shows Food Type Significantly Affects Listeria’s Ability to Survive Digestion, Cause Sickness

Justin Ransom and Denise Eblen

USDA-FSIS Announces Dr. Justin Ransom as New Administrator

Events

July 15, 2025

Hygienic Design Risk Management: Industry Challenges and Global Insights

Live: July 15, 2025 at 11:00 am EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn the importance of hygienic design to ensure food safety and sanitation effectiveness.

July 22, 2025

Beyond the Binder: Digital Management of Food Safety

Live: July 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn best practices for the use of digital food safety management systems across industry and regulatory agencies.

August 7, 2025

Achieve Active Managerial Control of Major Risk Factors Using a Food Safety Management System

Live: August 7, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn about changes to the FDA Food Code, which now includes a requirement for FSMS. 

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • bottling

    Finding the right equipment for manufacturing legal cannabis beverages

    See More
  • Biospray and Biospray D2

    Unique sanitation considerations in legal cannabis edibles and beverages processing

    See More
  • Capitol Building on Dollar Bill

    How to navigate legal cannabis edibles and beverages industry banking and finances

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 9781138198463.jpg

    Food Safety Management Programs: Applications, Best Practices, and Compliance

  • 1119053595.jpg

    Food Safety for the 21st Century: Managing HACCP and Food Safety throughout the Global Supply Chain, 2E

  • 1118396308.jpg

    High Throughput Analysis for Food Safety

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ)

    CSQ is a safety-driven company setting reliable cannabis industry standards to help companies minimize risk, protect their brand, and provide the best product for their consumers. CSQ is the first accredited cannabis certification program, and it was built in 2020 to meet ISO requirements and regulatory cannabis requirements from seed-to-sale.
  • Best Sanitizers Inc.

    Since 1995, Best Sanitizers, Inc. has provided the Food Processing and Healthcare industries with the highest quality products and support. Our stringent practices and policies ensure that our products do what they say they will do, so you can use them with confidence.
  • FoodBusiness ERP

    Designed for food and beverage manufacturing companies, FoodBusiness ERP is built in Sage X3 to provide a unified platform that is configured by NexTec industry experts who deliver a complete food and beverage manufacturing business solution. FoodBusiness ERP was developed from years of industry experience incorporating best practices from food and beverage manufacturers and industry leaders across North America.
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing