How To Make Water-Soluble Cannabinoids: Product Development Solutions
Valued at USD 18.14 billion in 2022, the U.S. cannabinoids market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.3% from 2023 to 2030. This growth potential can be attributed to the increasing consumer use of cannabinoids and the rising awareness about their health and therapeutic benefits.
Major trends in the cannabis industry are increasingly focused on the development and formulation of water-soluble cannabinoids. The global water-soluble CBD market size alone was valued at approximately USD 1.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 3.4 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 12.1% during the forecast period.
The ability to effortlessly formulate, package, and distribute stable water-soluble cannabinoids is a game-changer in a quickly evolving landscape.
Cannabinoid Chemical Properties
Cannabinoids are a diverse group of chemical compounds primarily found in the cannabis plant. They generally consist of a phenolic structure and a long aliphatic (C-3) side chain. Cannabinoids can exist in various isomeric forms, influencing their pharmacological effects.
Several major cannabinoids exist as acidic precursors (like THCA and CBDA) that require decarboxylation (removal of a carboxyl group) to become active compounds. These chemical properties are crucial in how cannabinoids interact with the body, affecting their therapeutic applications and effectiveness.
Are cannabinoids water soluble?
Many popular cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), and cannabichromene (CBC), have limited water solubility, binding to fat molecules more readily instead.
This resistance to solubility in water is due to the fact that cannabinoids are lipophilic compounds. High lipophilicity and low aqueous solubility are common challenges faced by new drug molecules. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of prescription drugs are nearly impossible for formulators to fully dissolve in aqueous media and exhibit very low native permeability.
Similarly, the poor water-solubility of cannabinoids significantly hinders oral absorption and contributes to their poor bioavailability. The extreme lipophilicity poses challenges for both cannabinoid bioavailability and therapeutic effectiveness when administered orally.
Challenges Formulating Cannabinoid Beverages
Emulsion technology has been utilized in the beverage industry for many years. This process allows hydrophobic substances, including lipophilic compounds like cannabinoids, to readily disperse in hydrophilic liquids. In the cannabis beverage sector, delivering active cannabinoids hinges on the correct type of emulsification technology to maintain stable potency.
Two main factors contribute to cannabinoid potency loss: chemical and physical degradation.
Chemical potency loss
Chemical potency loss often occurs due to oxidation. Oxygen dissolves more readily in oil droplets than in the surrounding water. Since emulsification creates millions of tiny droplets, the surface area exposed to oxygen increases markedly.
Controlling oxygen levels during packaging is critical as well; oxygen entering the container during the canning or bottling process can also contribute to chemical potency loss. Seamless collaboration among emulsion suppliers, beverage formulators, and co-manufacturers is essential to avoid chemical potency loss.
Physical potency loss
Physical factors can lead to potency loss through droplet loss. This is typically due to ingredient incompatibility, thermal processing, or improper packaging materials.
Testing for compatibility between beverage and emulsion ingredients is highly recommended to prevent lipophilic combinations that can compromise water-soluble cannabinoids. It’s also important to avoid extended high heat or pressure during thermal processing, which can compromise poorly designed emulsions and result in a loss of homogeneity and potency.
Packaging material also contributes heavily to physical potency loss. Glass bottles are preferable from the standpoint of being hydrophilic but are heavy and can significantly increase shipping costs.
Aluminum cans provide scalability and cost-effectiveness but typically have a hydrophobic polymer lining. The lining attracts the hydrophobic oils in emulsion droplets, causing them to stick to the liner and drain potency over time. Any water-soluble cannabis emulsion must be compatible with the liner material to minimize potency changes.
How To Make Cannabinoids Water Soluble
Patent-pending Spoke ISOCanna™ technology is modernizing the formulation and delivery of functional ingredients such as cannabinoids. Spoke scientists optimize carriers using a proprietary experimental process and in silico solubility model.
ISOCanna creates sub-micron particles of an active ingredient and a carrier, stabilized by minimal use of surfactants and suspended in water. The result is a particle where the carrier and active are solubility matched, creating a dispersion. All ingredients are heat stable and can be added even before pasteurization, integrating effortlessly into existing beverage manufacturing processes.
This effectively solves solubility challenges for active ingredients that are highly insoluble in water, such as cannabinoids, many vitamins, nutraceuticals like resveratrol and pterostilbene, and other functional ingredients—both natural and synthetic.
Spoke is modernizing the formulation and delivery of next-generation, water-soluble functional ingredients. Founded by product development, marketing, and intellectual property experts with deep industry experience ranging from start-ups through multinational organizations, Spoke is driven by science and quality.
Like all Spoke products, ISOCanna technology exclusively utilizes components generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA. All Spoke ingredients are available for purchase or technology license at the customer’s option.
Contact us to learn more.