LISTEN: Nanotechnology opens avenues for high-potency CBD-infused bakery and snacks

The California startup uses water-soluble nanotechnology, which means that its offerings have a five times greater absorption than traditional vehicles and the consumer will feel the full effects in less than 10 minutes.

Infused By Epic is the brainchild of medical entrepreneur Diana Starr Langley and nanotechnology expert Kalon Baird. Borrowing research from the big food and pharma space, they developed a proprietary, targeted delivery system that makes it easier for manufacturers to include CBD into their existing product lines or create new ones.

The rush to the so-called ‘new kid on the block’ has ignited like a wildfire and everyone is talking about it for its purported benefits in regulating pain and promoting a general sense of wellbeing and harmony.

However, Baird told BakeryandSnacks the average bioavailability of conventional oil-based CBD is around 5%-35%, due to complex digestion factors including fatty acids in the diet, liver enzyme performance and particle size.

“CBD is poorly water-soluble and inherently poorly bioavailable,”​ said Baird. “Many CBD formulations simply dissolve cannabis extracts into a vegetable oil base such as coconut oil (MCT) or olive oil, rendering only a fraction of the active ingredient effective.​

“The CBD oil has to be broken down and made water soluble by the GI (gastrointestinal) tract in order to be absorbed – a process that is inherently slow and leads to a large amount of the active molecule being excreted by the body.”​

The science of small things

Infused by Epic uses a proprietary blend of lipid-based coating molecules that are more compatible with the body’s digestive system, making absorption happen a lot faster. It also uses nanotechnology – essentially, “the science of delivering things at a very small level,”​ said Baird.

“[The technology] makes these small CBD crystals into little micro nano vehicles that can then be better absorbed into the body.”​

Infused by Epic particles are under 50 nanometers, which is 100 times smaller than a human red blood cell, which is around 5,000 nanometers.

According to the company, its formulations deliver a higher portion of the active ingredient directly into the bloodstream, avoiding digestive degradation and giving the consumer close to 100% of the CBD they are paying for.

Available in liquid and powder form, the formulations can be mixed into water-based formulations, and even have a protective nature against heat and pH and enzymatic degradation inside the snack formulation, said Baird.

“We’ve noticed a significant increase in the acceptance of CBD into people’s dietary regime. We’re just trying to meet that demand and provide flexibility for manufacturers and formulators to incorporate CBD into their products.”​