Science for product makers: Why cannabis nanoemulsion offers quick onset

This post is also published as an article on Harold's LinkedIn profile. You can read and leave comments here.

Our industry generally agrees that cannabis nanoemulsions offer a quicker onset than distillates in infused products. It is widely accepted that smaller droplet size contributes to this effect, but what is the exact connection between small droplet size and quick onset? To fully understand, we need to start with how our body absorbs fats.

Before we dig in, I need to give full credit to Prof. Julian David McClements, who brought years of food emulsion research into the cannabis industry by sitting as the Science Advisor for Vertosa. This discussion is based on two of his publications.

When it comes to absorbing fat and hydrophobic substances (like cannabinoids), our body is an emulsification machine!

When we eat fatty foods, our body releases bile salts (an effective emulsifier) and digestive enzymes (lipases) into the small intestine. These substances help to break down the fats into tiny droplets called mixed micelles. Mixed micelles are the main vehicle where fat and hydrophobic substances get absorbed through the epithelial cell in the small intestines. (source)

According to Salvia-Trujillo (2017), the above image represents "the possible changes in nanoemulsion structure during their journey through the gastrointestinal tract."¹

When we consume THC through an edible, the process of THC getting transferred from the food matrix into mixed micelles is called bioaccessibility. The faster of the bioaccessibility, the faster THC can be absorbed, the quicker of onset. Scientists believe bioaccessibility is the determining key step in the whole pharmacokinetic (PK) process. (source)

"The overall bioavailability of cannabinoids depends on many factors, including their bioaccessibility, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. These factors are influenced by food format." (Mcclements, 2020) ²

Distillate vs Nanoemulsion

Imagine distillate is the train, nanoemulsion is the bus and THC are passengers sitting within. Bioaccessibility describes the process of unloading the passengers off the vehicles. It would be much faster to unload passengers from the train than from the bus. This is why nanoemulsion offers quicker onset than distillate.

In other words, it would take much longer for your small intestine to emulsify a bulky distillate into mixed micelles. Nanoemulsion's small droplets save a lot of effort for our body and provide a much easier pathway to the formation of mixed micelles.

Dr. Harold Han — the “Happy Chemist” — combines his storied background in emulsion chemistry and science with curiosity and fascination in the rapidly growing cannabis industry. Developing nano and micro emulsions his entire career, Harold holds a Ph.D in Surface Chemistry from NYU and is the author of multiple patents in emulsion chemistry.

As the Chief Science Officer at Vertosa, Harold spearheads the company’s development of industry-leading and customized active ingredients for infused product makers, offering pre-suspended aqueous solutions to create incredibly homogenous and stable products while maximizing bioavailability, clarity, and taste.

To learn more about the science of cannabis, check out Harold’s Happy Chemist videos.

References

¹ Salvia-Trujillo, L, Soliva-Fortuny, R, Rojas-Grau, M, McClements, J, Martín-Belloso, O 2017, 'Edible Nanoemulsions as Carriers of Active Ingredients: A Review', Annual Review of Food Science and Technology.

² McClements, J 2020, 'Enhancing Efficacy, Performance, and Reliability of Cannabis Edibles: Insights from Lipid Bioavailability Studies', Annual Review of Food Science and Technology.