Edibles are cannabis-infused food products such as beverages, gummies, cookies, brownies, chocolates, and chewable that consumers choose as an alternative to vaping or smoking cannabis.
Consuming edibles have more potent effects and lasts longer compared to cannabis consumed through other methods, which is why experts suggest going with a relatively low dose. Like regular food products, edibles do not go bad but degrade after some time, depending on specific scenarios.
Ingredients Are Crucial To Consider
The edible’s life depends on many things, such as its type, preparation process, and added preservatives. Factory-made edibles like cookies and brownies are cooked and packaged to stay excellent and shelf-stable for a long time which has a longer life than an infused cookie or brownie you make at home. Also, edibles like chocolate or gummies don’t go bad but can stale over time and might not be as enjoyable.
If you want to find out whether an edible has gone bad or not, look for a change in the color, texture, smell, or flavor, you will know.
Different Types Of Edibles
Drinkables
Typically, edibles in the form of a beverage come sealed in a container with longevity of months. It would help if you consumed it between four and seven days after opening it and exposed it to oxygen.
Baked Products
Baked goods are products like cookies and cakes and can stay good for several weeks in their original packaging, just like other store-bought snack cakes. These goods contain preservatives and come individually packaged, which can keep them fresh at room temperature or in the refrigerator for several weeks or longer.
Chewable Goods
Candies, gummies, chews, and lollipops have a comparably long shelf life because mostly THC edibles are individually packaged. They have little to no water content, packaged to keep from oxidizing; hence they last longer when stored properly.
Oils
Oils also have a long shelf life when stored correctly, and they may last for several months on the shelf.
Reasons For Edibles Degradation
If cannabinoids are correctly introduced into an edible, this product’s life will likely remain unchanged. Additionally, most cannabis edibles often have an expiration (best to use by) date printed on their package, so you may check this to gain a sense of its shelf life.
Two primary factors impact a cannabis edibles timeline: the product type and the ingredients it contains.
Edibles Usually Don’t Go Bad, But They Degrade.
The active molecules in Cannabinoid edibles that affect our bodies don’t go bad — but they do degrade, which means that their molecular structure changes over time and may have different effects.
Over time, with excessive heat, light, and oxygen, THC degrades into another cannabinoid known as Cannabinol (CBN), or sleepy cannabinoid, and has garnered a reputation for having sedative properties.
When cannabinoids (CBD) edibles degrade, they are less potent, and all cannabinoids degrade over time. The duration and rate of that degradation depend on their storage and preservation method. It is not uncommon for an edible to decrease potency by 10 to 20% per year if not stored properly.
Air, heat, light, and time are among the other factors that affect the longevity of cannabinoids, which is why storage becomes especially important.
Preserving Techniques
Storing them is the most crucial factor regardless of the edible type. You have two options for keeping cannabis edibles fresh mentioned below:
Shelf-Storage
Edibles like gummies, brownies, etc., have a long shelf life and stay fresh on the pantry shelf or in other areas. The only thing to ensure is that the products are always in an airtight bag container.
Refrigerator Storage
Edibles with a short life span must be kept in a fridge or freezer, depending on the edible type and how soon you intend to consume the good. Most edibles may stay fresh for six or more months when refrigerated.
Final Words
It is essential to check the Cannabis-infused edibles product‘s packaging for a best-before date as you do with other food if you’re buying a pre-made edible. So now you know that cannabinoids degrade over time for various reasons such as weather, air, moisture, and storage, which also change how they affect you. Hence it is crucial to understand that we must store edibles safely and securely in airtight containers away from moisture, heat, and light.
