Twin-screw extrusion retains industrial hemp byproduct (hemp flakes) functionality

Consumer recognition of the health benefits of industrial hemp cannabidiol (CBD) products has increased its value to consumers. Consequently, there is a need to explore industrial hemp byproducts to improve sustainability and foster a circular economy. Extrusion processing was conducted with formulations made with hemp flakes, a byproduct of CBD oil extraction based on corn flour with 5%, 10%, and 15% hemp flakes replacement using a laboratory-scale conical twin-screw extruder. The impacts of formulation, barrel temperature, and screw speed on extrudates were evaluated. Cannabichromene (CBC), cannabinol (CBN), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabigerol (CBG), and CBD were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography before and postextrusion. Antioxidant potential (total polyphenol content [TPC] and 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay [DPPH]) and ferric-reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP) were determined similarly. Increasing hemp flakes in the formula reduced pasting properties significantly (p ≤ 0.05). Expansion ratio (ER) showed significant linear effects with the amount of hemp flakes in the formula (p ≤ 0.05) and die temperature (p ≤ 0.05), while the 10% hemp formula recorded the highest ER of 3.24 (p ≤ 0.05). Extrusion generally reduced TPC, DPPH, FRAP, and cannabinoids compared to raw formulas. Low screw speeds and medium barrel temperatures displayed high retention of cannabinoids and antioxidants. Low screw speeds might have allowed adequate shearing, mixing, and an extended high-pressure exposure leading to the release of bound polyphenols, antioxidants, and cannabinoids. Some extrusion parameters can maintain cannabinoids and antioxidants in hemp byproducts while transforming them into puffed food products. These findings directly affect the industry, providing valuable insights for practical application. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Extrusion cooking remains one of the most economical methods of valorizing agricultural byproducts. This work developed extrusion parameters applicable to the food industry for making quality puffed food products. It could apply to snacks, breakfast cereals, animal feed, and others with desirable consumer properties and retained functionality for improving health and wellness.

CBD oil by-product (Hemp flakes): Evaluation for nutritional composition, heavy metals and functionality as a food ingredient

Background

The recent interest among consumers in industrial hemp due to health and wellness benefits has led to several products from industrial hemp, including cannabidiol (CBD) oil. CBD oil extraction from hemp buds and flowers generates by-product biomass (hemp flakes), often posing disposal challenges and with little or no applications. We hypothesized that hemp flakes possess residual compounds with nutritional and health value that could be used to improve utilization.

Methods

Locally sourced hemp flakes were compared to three commercial hemp protein products. The nutritional composition (proximate analysis), heavy metals (Al, Cu, As, Pb, Co, Cd), and functional composition (phenolic and antioxidant properties-total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoid compounds (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC)), (CBD, cannabiodiolic acid-CBDA, cannabichromene-CBC, cannabigerol-CBG, and cannabinol-CBN) contents were determined and compared.

Findings

Hemp flakes had a similar nutritional composition to commercial hemp protein products, with heavy metal levels within FDA allowed limits. The by-product had significantly higher CBDA levels than commercial products. Overall, hemp flakes had comparable nutrient composition and antioxidant capabilities. Based on the protein composition of hemp flakes (31.62 %) versus the highest commercial product (43 %), hemp flakes are an acceptable functional food ingredient.

Effect of Drying Methods on Chemical and Sensory Properties of Cannabis sativa Leaves

Hemp is used as a source of fiber, oil and bioactive substances including volatile and cannabinoid-containing substances. This paper presents, for the first time, results on the evaluation of drying methods (convective, vacuum-microwave and combined convective pre-drying and vacuum-microwave finishing drying) of hemp leaves on the qualitative and quantitative changes in secondary metabolites, including essential oils, cannabinoids and sterols. A ranking and descriptive test of hemp leaves was also performed. Drying kinetics was presented using three models, including logarithmic, Midilli and modified Page. The SPME-Arrow technique was used to determine 41 volatile compounds, of which caryophyllene, β-myrcene and α-humulene were dominant in dried and fresh leaves. Regarding the essential oils obtained, 64 were identified, with caryophyllene, humulene epoxide II and limonene being the dominant ones. For preserving the highest amount of oils, the best method was the convective pre-drying followed by vacuum-microwave finishing drying (CD60-VMD) combined method, where the retention of volatile compounds was 36.08%, whereas the CD70 and 240-VMD methods resulted in the highest loss of 83%. The predominant cannabinoids in fresh hemp leaves were CBDA 6.05 and CBD 2.19 mg g-1. Drying caused no change in the cannabinoid profile of the plant material. β-Sitosterol, campesterol and lupeol were dominant in the phytosterol and triterpene fractions. No changes in either quality or quantity were observed in any of the variants found.

Cannabis sativa Cannabinoids as Functional Ingredients in Snack Foods-Historical and Developmental Aspects

The published health benefits of Cannabis sativa has caught the attention of health-conscious consumers and the food industry. Historically, seeds have long been utilized as a food source and currently there is an increasing number of edibles on the market that contain cannabis. Cannabinoids include the psychoactive constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and the non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) that are both compounds of interest in Cannabis sativa. This paper looks at the distribution of nutrients and phytocannabinoids in low-THC Cannabis sativa, the historical uses of hemp, cannabis edibles, and the possible side-effects and concerns related to cannabis edibles. Several authors have pointed out that even though the use of cannabis edibles is considered safe, it is important to mention their possible side-effects and any concerns related to its consumption that negatively influence consumer acceptance of cannabis edibles. Such risks include unintentional overdose by adults and accidental ingestion by children and adolescents resulting in serious adverse effects. Therefore, cannabis edibles should be specifically packaged and labelled to differentiate them from known similar non-cannabis edibles so that, together with tamperproof packaging, these measures reduce the appeal of these products to children.

Natural Hemp-Ginger Extract and Its Biological and Therapeutic Efficacy

The prevention and treatment of skin diseases remains a major challenge in medicine. The search for natural active ingredients that can be used to prevent the development of the disease and complement treatment is on the rise. Natural extracts of ginger and hemp offer a wide range of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits. This study evaluates the effectiveness of hemp and ginger extract as a supportive treatment for skin diseases. It reports a synergistic effect of hemp and ginger extract. The contents of cannabinoids and components of ginger are determined, with the highest being CBD (587.17 ± 8.32 µg/g) and 6-gingerol (60.07 ± 0.40 µg/g). The minimum inhibitory concentration for Staphylococcus aureus (156.5 µg/mL), Escherichia coli (625.2 µg/mL) and Candida albicans (78.3 µg/mL) was also analyzed. Analysis of WM-266-4 cells revealed the greatest decrease in metabolic activity in cells exposed to the extract at a concentration of 1.00 µg/mL. Regarding the expression of genes associated with cellular processes, melanoma aggressiveness, resistance and cell survival, a significant difference was found in the expression of ABCB5, CAV1 and S100A9 compared with the control (cells not exposed to the extract).

Extraction, Characterization, and Chitosan Microencapsulation of Bioactive Compounds from Cannabis sativa L., Cannabis indica L., and Mitragyna speiosa K

The objective of the research was to investigate the bioactive compounds of herbal plant leaves by microencapsulation technique for future application as a feed additive. In this experiment, three herbal plant leaves, namely Cannabis sativa L., Cannabis indica L., and Mitragyna speiosa K., were comparatively investigated using different methods to extract their bioactive compounds. Two methods were used to extract the bioactive compounds: microwave extraction (water-heating transferred) and maceration extraction (methanol extracted). The results obtained using microwave extraction revealed that the total polyphenolic and flavonoid contents and antioxidant capacity were significantly higher and stronger, respectively, than those produced by the maceration extraction method (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the spray-drying technique was employed to enhance the extracted compounds by encapsulation with chitosan through ionic gelation properties. The physical characteristics of chitosan-encapsulated substrates were examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and were as microparticle size (1.45 to 11.0 µm). The encapsulation efficiency of the bioactive compounds was found to be 99.7, 82.3, and 54.6% for microencapsulated M. speiosa, C. indica, and C. sativa, respectively. Therefore, microwave treatment prior to chitosan encapsulation of leaf extracts resulted in increased recovery of bioactive compound encroachment.