On the surface, it seems like meat and cheese wouldn’t have much in common with cannabis, but there is one thing that unites them: water activity.

Specifically, it’s about controlling water activity to prohibit — or in the case of some meats and cheeses, encourage — mold and microbe growth. Building on experience with the food industry, David Sandelman, CTO, COO and inventor of Cannatrol, adapted this principle to serve the cannabis industry.

Sandelman covers the basics of drying and curing, how the process differs between meat, cheese and cannabis, and how the cannabis industry benefits from controlling water activity.

FOOD ENGINEERING: What is your background in drying and curing?

David Sandelman: My engineering background was always focused on innovative environmental control systems. The opportunity to enter the food space happened while I owned a restaurant in Vermont that was farm to table. When my wife, Jane, and I were in the restaurant business, we met many cheese makers who expressed the challenges of maintaining proper cave conditions. As I dug into the problem — simulating the conditions in a traditional cave — it became apparent that conventional cooling equipment was not suited for drying and curing. That was the beginning of development of our technology for drying and curing.

FE: How would you describe the drying and curing process for meat and cheese?

DS: The physics are the same, but the parameters are different. In a cheese installation, one might require higher vapor pressure to achieve desired results, while in meat, a lower vapor pressure is required. Both meat and cheese require accuracy in vapor pressure control to manage water loss over the drying and curing period.

FE: What characterizes a successful drying and curing process?

DS: Drying is a function of reaching a specific water activity over a specified period of time. Once that target water activity is reached, curing can begin while the product is maintained at equilibrium in the space. Different products require different curing times — this is where the expertise of the maker comes into play.

FE: How does the same process apply to cannabis? What are the differences?

DS: The physics are the same in this process of adjusting vapor pressure and achieving a specific water activity, whether it’s cannabis or meat and cheese. The critical part of cannabis is getting flower to a stable water activity (0.6aw) in a shorter time than meat or cheese. This ensures that mold and microbes do not grow. Whereas, in meat and cheese, we are balancing the environment to encourage desirable molds (in many cases).

FE: How does the Cannatrol system work? How does the Vaportrol technology come into play?

DS: Unlike conventional comfort cooling systems and conventional refrigeration, Cannatrol independently controls sensible and latent heat. This creates a very precise and repeatable environment — with consistent and repeatable outcomes. Vaportrol technology is a unique approach to environmental controls that can be applied to not only meat and cheese, but cannabis and other industries where water activity and controlled removal of unbound water is critical to product quality.

FE: What’s the importance of the storage aspect of this system?

DS: Storage in a controlled environment where vapor pressure is maintained will keep the product at a constant water activity. This means that products that are sold by weight — like cheese, charcuterie and cannabis — will not over dry and lose weight, thereby losing topline value. Overdrying can also seriously impact product quality. The critical piece of storage is proper, consistent control.

FE: What factors need to be considered when installing a drying and curing system?

DS: The system needs to be installed in a vaportight space. We do offer turnkey systems that include vaportight walls and ceiling, which have proved to be very popular with customers that need a quick startup or have limited infrastructure.

FE: When it comes to retrofitting existing facilities, what factors need to be considered?

DS: When it comes to retrofitting an existing facility, a vaportight space is paramount. We look at the construction of the room, ensuring that the space can be properly sealed. We also work closely with the client to review harvest cycles, wet weights and other factors that can influence how we size a specific system.

FE: What has been the response from the cannabis industry?

DS: We have had an incredible response from clients that have installed a Cannatrol system. Cultivators are reporting higher yields, improved terpene retention and reduced labor, while dispensaries using our technology are seeing increases in consumer demand and longer shelf life for flower.