EnWave's drying process, which combines vacuum and microwave technologies to dry foods such as blueberries or cheese, has found application in cannabis flowers and hemp.
Successfully incorporating cannabis into edibles that are delicious, safe and consistently dosed is not an easily achieved feat. Add in the complexities of chocolate, and it becomes a real challenge, particularly for new and small edibles manufacturers.
As reported by BDS Analytics, consumer spending on cannabis-based foods and beverages reached an estimated $1 billion in 2017 in the U.S. and Canada—and is projected to grow to more than $4.1 billion in those countries by 2022.
Ingredient companies use extraction technologies to concentrate the active components in cannabis. This is a boon to makers of legal cannabis edibles and beverages seeking to produce a variety of functional commercial products that have consistency and quality.
The FDA recently held a hearing designed to include information and views related to the safety of cannabis edibles and beverages—with a strong emphasis on cannabidiol (CBD) ingredients—as well as to solicit input relevant to the agency's regulatory strategy for existing products.