We perform a lot of testing on drinks. Many of the test results show lower concentrations than what was formulated. Review of the lay literature and trade publications reveals that adsorption (not absorption) losses to the plastic can liner are well-known and continue to plague the beverage industry. The losses are attributed to the partitioning of the lipophilic cannabinoids into the lipophilic plastic liners. The rate at which this partitioning occurs is not well-characterized and is reported to differ with different formulations and liner materials.
Carbonated beverages are reported to lose cannabinoids to the liner more rapidly than non-carbonated beverages. Plastic bottles are typically not used for cannabis beverages because losses are more rapid. Losses with glass containers have not been reported to the same extent so the glass container is the best but is not used widely due to economic factors like cost, weight, non-standard filling mechanisms, shipping, and others. Manufacturers are advised to submit their beverages for testing quickly after manufacture so that the cannabinoid content is closer to the target. Conventional wisdom is that they should be tested within a week of manufacture.
Producing cannabis beverages that deliver the labeled content is a challenge for the cannabis industry. Although the use of glass containers has been cited as the solution, cannabinoids are subject to photodegradation so it is necessary to demonstrate their stability in glass containers.
At KCA we have developed methods that have shown to account for the missing cannabinoid concentrations in drinks. Recent tests have shown up to 10mg of cannabinoids missing in the testing of the liquid that is due to the packaging.
If you are experiencing this issue we’d like to help and provide supporting evidence that the packaging is the culprit through our testing.