Baking & Snack - December 2024 - 48

CANNABIS/CBD/HEMP
High baking temperatures
can degrade
cannabinoids, which
can affect dosage.
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Brianna Jenkins, director of chemistry and quality assurance,
Red Mesa, a large-scale hemp processor and
producer of CBD and other cannabinoid raw materials
in Utah. " Depending on the distillate, some can be
solidified at room temperature and need to be heated
and homogenized before use. Some are liquid at room
temperature. The isolates are crystalized powders. That
would be similar to using baking soda or baking powder
in a recipe. I'd say both are easy to use. "
Jenkins explained that CBD isolates would be nearly
100% CBD, but distillates are not 100%.
" If you're wanting a 100-mg cookie, you can put 100
mg of CBD isolate in. But if you have a distillate at 90%
CBD, you have to take that potency into account to ensure
you have 100 mg of CBD, " Jenkins said. " With isolates,
you have to do less math. "
With THC, each batch of ingredients must be tested
to ensure proper dosage in a formulation, Owens said.
" I have to adjust the formulation to account for that
so we can hit the designated mark, of say 5 mg for a gum
drop, " he said. " Whatever the number is, I have to adjust
the formula to compensate for them. It's a little bit of
spreadsheet work. "
Bakers can infuse butter or oils like coconut oil with cannabis,
but the potencies can vary widely. This is a method
that has been used by home bakers for personal use.
" It's a little bit of roulette to get it right, " Owens said.
" You're just guessing. "
Rosins are extracted from plants without solvents,
but they have a strong flavor that can be a challenge in
a formulation.
" If you decide you want to go with something that's
a little more natural, like one of the rosins, for example,
they are very hashy, so you have to work with the flavor
a lot, meaning you have to eat the product a lot, "
Cristadoro said. " So it's kind of a workplace hazard. "
48 Baking & Snack December 2024 / www.bakingbusiness.com
She said she has worked with a flavor ingredient that
provides a hashy flavor without the THC, helping her get
the formulation right without the psychoactive effects of
working with THC.
Cannabinoids can degrade when exposed to higher
temperatures so bakers have to be careful when baking
with them.
" Cannabinoids will start to degrade around 105˚C,
which is 221˚F, " Jenkins said. " Cakes can be a little bit
harder to cook because they're in the oven for 45 minutes.
You may start seeing a tiny bit of degradation, so
you may need to add a little overage so you want it to be
100 mg exactly. "
When making products with several cannabinoids, it
is important to note that not all cannabinoids are equal
in thermal and oxidative stability, Woelfel said.
" For example, CBC, THCV and delta-9 THC tend
to be more susceptible to oxidative and thermal degradation
both during processing like baking as well as
through shelf life, " he said.
One hazard of baking with cannabinoids is that waste
can be costly, such as a distillate getting stuck in a bowl.
" Keep in mind the cannabis ingredient itself is really
expensive so if it gets stuck in the sprayers, you're going
to be mad, " Cristadoro said.
She suggested using as few containers as possible
when mixing up the product to help mitigate
the problem.
While cannabis and hemp are growing in popularity,
they can pose several challenges for bakers interested in
producing them. It requires a good understanding of the
legal hurdles and understanding how to handle these
ingredients.
" Baked goods and snacks are definitely a new market, "
Jenkins said. " They're just kind of starting. But gummies
also started that way, and they have exploded. "
*
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Baking & Snack - December 2024

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