Nanoemulsions Produced By Ultrasonic Liquid Processors

What is a nanoemulsion and how does it affect CBD?

CBD oils and cannabis concentrates are hydrophobic substances. Their low water solubility means less bioavailability, so only a small part of the cannabinoids are absorbed by the body. Nanotechnology can be a game changer, offering more power and faster action at lower doses.

Is there a new generation of CBD products about to replace “old school” oils and creams? We're not sure yet, but there's probably a battle going on when it comes to bioavailability (the degree to which a substance is available to target cells).

The higher the bioavailability of a dose, the less you will need to experience the effects. An intravenous dose is considered to have 100% bioavailability, since it enters the blood directly in an aqueous form.

Bioavailability is a critical factor in the consumption of cannabis and CBD. The best way to increase the effectiveness of CBD (or THC), without increasing the dose, is to increase its availability. Oil-based products, such as CBD oils and creams to be consumed orally or topically, have relatively low bioavailability, due to the fact that the CBD molecule is hydrophobic. Cannabinoids are resinous substances that do not mix with water, the main component of our body.

IMPROVING THE EFFICACY OF CBD WITH NANOEMULSIONS

To circumvent cannabinoids' natural resistance to being absorbed into the bloodstream, new technologies can now break down oily substances into tiny particles, which emulsify to create a stable form.

This process has made it possible to transform CBD oils into forms more akin to water, thus increasing their bioavailability. Today, emulsion nanotechnology enables companies to produce a new generation of nearly water-soluble CBD and THC oils.

WHAT IS A NANOEMULSION?

Technically speaking, oil-in-water emulsions are mixtures where water is the continuous phase and oil is the dispersed phase, often stabilized by one or more emulsifiers (also called surfactants). Surfactants can be natural or artificial and are useful in reducing the molecular surface tension between liquids and oils.

Emulsions can be macro, micro or nano, depending on the size of the particles of the dispersed phase.

Recently, nanotechnology has been applied to the nutrition and food sector, to resolve issues such as bioavailability or consistency of food. Some of the results are water-compatible nanoemulsions of supposedly healthy ingredients, which can be mixed with any beverage.

Nanoemulsions are produced by ultrasonic liquid processors, which break down the dispersed phase into droplets from 10 to 1,000nm. These droplets are much smaller than conventional macroemulsion droplets (between 0.1 and 100µm in size) and can be easily transported through the body by a water-based compound. For practical purposes, the smaller the particles when breaking down the cannabinoids, the easier it will be for them to penetrate your tissues along with the water.

WHAT ADVANTAGES DO NANOEMULSIONS OFFER?

Nanoemulsions are being studied as a way to deliver fast-acting antidotes to viruses, and for other medical applications. At the moment, 60 drugs with nanoemulsion technology have already been approved and research continues to advance. For example, one study suggests that nanoemulsions significantly increase the bioavailability of δ-tocopherol (a type of vitamin E) applied transdermally.

Nanoemulsions have also been developed to improve the bioavailability of curcumin and lutein in dietary supplements; and this same advance has been implemented in the cannabis sector. CBD and other cannabis compounds in oil form can be nanoemulsified into new formulations to improve intestinal absorption.