Cannabutter Gummy Bears -Why you need an emulsifier
A lot of people believe you can only make THC infused, gummy candies, or any other THC infused candies with an alcohol or glycerin tincture. I'm here to say you can make almost any candy recipe like gummy bears, lollipops, chewy or hard candy with cannabutter.
I know you're thinking there is no way you can combine butter(oil base) with a water based recipe and you are right and wrong. If you add oil to water we all know what happens, they separate and no matter how much you stir it, the two ingredients will never come together unless you add an emulsifier
What is an emulsifier?
When water and oil are mixed together and vigorously shaken, a dispersion of oil droplets in water - and vice versa - is formed. When shaking stops, the phases start to separate. However, when an emulsifier is added to the system, the droplets remain dispersed, and a stable emulsion is obtained.
An emulsifier consists of a water-loving hydrophilic head and an oil-loving hydrophobic tail. The hydrophilic head is directed to the aqueous phase and the hydrophobic tail to the oil phase (see figure 1). The emulsifier positions itself at the oil/water or air/water interface and, by reducing the surface tension, has a stabilising effect on the emulsion.
Figure 1: An oil-in water (left) and water-in-oil (right) emulsionThe tube on the left contains an emulsion. The two separated layers are shown on the right.
â
In addition to their ability to form an emulsion, emulsifiers have the ability to interact with other food ingredients. In this way, various functionalities can be obtained, for example interaction with proteins or carbohydrates. The emulsifier may be an aerating agent, starch complexing agent and/or crystallisation inhibitor (read more in applications).
Information from : http://www.emulsifiers.org/ViewDocument.asp?ItemId=11&â
Emulsifiers for Oil and Water Base:
âThere are a lot of different emulsifiers out there and I recommend to research them. The 2 emulsifiers that I use is Soy Lecithin liquid or powdered or granular's and Guar Gum. You can use sunflower lecithin liquid, powdered or granular's.
It is important to use small amounts at a time in your recipes. You can always add more but you can't take it out.