Biography:
Russ Cersosimo studied at West Virginia University. He co-founded Keystone Integrated Care which won a Pennsylvania medical marijuana dispensary permit. He founded the 501(c)(3) organization, the Pennsylvania Medical Cannabis Society, now the Medical Cannabis Society. He sits on the ASTM Committee for writing cannabis industry standards, founded Miradati Technology, which creates standardized data for medical cannabis research, sits on the Board of the Tourette Syndrome Awareness Foundation, is Chairman of the Board of the Medical Cannabis Society. He co-founded Hemp Synergistics, a biotech firm specializing in molecular level separation and reformulation of cannabinoids for food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries
Abstract:
The Hemp industry is coming of age and laws and regulations are feverishly trying to catch up. The over 140 cannabinoids are being found by research to provide significant health benefits related to brain disease, PTSD, insomnia, anxiety and more. Science is researching the entourage effect and dosing, molecular separation and custom ratios to enhance the entourage effect, while at the same time regulations are coming that will require a level of standardization in the final product that is not widely available currently.
The food industry is also busy “cooking up” cannabinoid edibles, but it isn’t as easy as adding cannabinoids to the mixture along with the other ingredients. They need to be aware of the additives that will enhance emulsification and water solubility of the hemp product. They need to take into account how cannabinoids are affected by heat and over time to determine shelf life for consumers.
Sourcing cannabinoids will involve researching the quality control procedures of suppliers, including where the biomass is sourced, what kind of testing and analysis is done vs what is legally required, as well as the accreditations and certifications held by the suppliers.
Edible forms of cannabinoids are the future, and it is not Wild West of the recent past. Scaling edible cannabinoid products depends in large part on suppliers scaling standardized cannabinoid custom formulations.
The Audience will learn about:
- the state of research for cannabinoids as medicine
- the science involved in researching and creating standardized cannabinoid formulations
- the future of cannabinoids in food products and why that is important
- the levels of testing, analysis, and quality control required for legal, reliable ingredients