The CBD market has long had a variety of hemp cultivation techniques, with some growers preferring all-natural, sun-grown hemp and others using indoor environments that allow for maximum variable control.
New research may show how it is possible to create CBD and THC cannabinoids without ever growing hemp. The new method uses yeast filled with certain compounds to artificially cultivate the desired cannabinoids.
Wired recently reported that the method, also present in brewing beer or baking bread, could be a new avenue of CBD collection and production. [1]
The article reports that yeasts loaded with cannabis genes can produce quantities of CBD and THC compounds, cannabinoids that people are familiar with using from other sources. CBD, or cannabidiol, is the non-psychoactive compound many use for pain relief, insomnia and epilepsy, why THC is the active ingredient in marijuana which makes the user high.
The Wired report is based on research from the University of California – Berkeley chemical engineer Jay Keasling and his coauthor’s contributions for the journal Nature. [1]
Though the yeast-based process requires attention and resources, Wired writes that it may be a more practical, less resource-intensive route to creating cannabinoids than growing indoors, where much energy and water is required.
Vats of yeast could eventually drastically increase the amounts of CBD and THC oils companies are able to manufacture and potentially lead to more and more accessible pricing.
Still, there seem to be reasons holdouts may choose to err against the yeast method. Organic methods that don’t use labs or pesticides will always have a customer base, and there may even be some amount of production limits based on what large amounts of gene additives and other substances might do to yeast. [1]
Despite the attributes consumers may like or dislike about lab-grown yeast-based CBD and THC, there seem to be scientific benefits to this type of cultivation.
From the Wired article:
“Regardless of production hurdles, the beauty of this kind of bioengineering is that it gives researchers a powerful platform to dig into not just what each cannabinoid might be useful for—whether treating anxiety or inflammation or epilepsy—but how the many cannabinoids in the plant might interact with one another.”
Throughout the industry, the effects of yeast production are promising but unknown.
In the meantime, the height of CBD user experience seems most promising in the sector of organic, non-pesticide hemp growing. But consumers are always on the lookout for where they can reliably find products they trust that fit this category.
At Nothing But Hemp, Minnesotans interested in the CBD market can learn about award-winning, industry-leading organic brands like Siskiyou Sungrown.
With three locations in the Twin Cities metro area, including in Minneapolis, Maplewood and Forest Lake, area residents are sure to find the expertise they need to get started.
Sources
[1] https://www.wired.com/story/yeast-cbd-and-thc/
