It has been touted for its ability to treat pain and anxiety and is found in everything from soda to soap. But could CBD also help extend the shelf life of certain foods?
New research suggests it\’s possible. A study published this month in Applied materials and ACS interfaces looked at the differences between strawberries that received a CBD treatment and those that didn\’t.
Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to have antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Investigation of CBD\’s potential as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent, meanwhile, is still in its early stages. The objectives of the study were to prepare encapsulated cannabidiol isolate (eCBDi), evaluate the effect of eCBDi edible active coatings on the physicochemical properties of strawberries, and determine whether CBD and sodium alginate coatings could be used as post-treatment. harvest to promote antioxidant and antimicrobial activity and extend the shelf life of strawberries, the researchers said in the abstract.
They said that a well-designed edible coating on the surface of the strawberry was achieved by using eCBDi nanoparticles in combination with a sodium alginate polysaccharide solution, and that the strawberries were examined for their visual appearance and quality parameters.
In the results, significantly delayed deterioration was observed in terms of weight loss, total acidity, pH, microbial activity and antioxidant activity for the coated strawberries compared to the control. This study demonstrates the ability of eCBDi nanoparticles as an efficient active food coating agent, the abstract states.
Digital outlet Leafie has more details on the study, which was led by scientists at Thammasat University and the Chulabhorn Research Institute in Thailand.
According to the outlet, the research team combined CBD isolate with biodegradable polymers that are used in drug delivery to create nanoparticles 400 nanometers wide.
These were then mixed with water and the food additive sodium alginate. The researchers dipped the strawberries in the resulting solution, followed by a second bath in ascorbic acid and calcium chloride, which turned the coating into a gel, Leafie reported.
To test the shelf life of the coatings, the team placed treated and untreated strawberries in open plastic containers and stored them at refrigerator temperatures for several weeks. Strawberries treated with CBD decomposed much less in 15 days than those left uncoated, retaining their color and weight for longer. Higher amounts of CBD also appeared to perform better than lower amounts in the test.
It is not the first research to produce such results. As Leafie noted, a 2021 study published in Postharvest Biology and Technology provided for the first time evidence that CBD oil has the potential to reduce microbial load and maintain the visual quality of strawberries, which would lengthen their shelf life. duration.
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of CBD as a post-harvest treatment applied to the surface of strawberries by consumers at home to retard microbial growth and maintain quality, thus prolonging fruit shelf life. This was done by using CBD oil as an edible coating to protect the strawberries from spoiling. Edible coatings have been shown to protect some fruits and vegetables from dying too quickly and succumbing to decay, the researchers wrote at the time.
They stated that the results of their study showed that CBD oil was effective in maintaining the visual appearance of strawberries, above the minimum threshold of a visual assessment score of 3, compared to the fruit that was not treated. .
CBD oil was also found to be effective in reducing the microbial load on treated strawberries compared to untreated fruit. This research shows that CBD oil has the potential to be used by consumers at home as an effective antimicrobial treatment and to extend the shelf life of strawberries, the researchers said.
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