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In The LAB
Cannabis processing, at its core, is similar to processing any other natural product. This generally entails converting a raw material into a usable form for incorporation into a food, beverage, or other product while also ensuring its microbial and functional stability. Processing has unfortunately become a dirty word in modern health and wellness circles. It is true that some means of processing food or beverage products results in the destruction of nutritive compounds and addition of sodium or fats. No one would argue that those types of processes result in a product that is significantly less nutritious than its original form. The goal of a nature identical process, on the other hand, is to convert a natural product into a readily usable form without altering the overall chemical composition that makes the starting product so unique. Nature identical processing could be applied to numerous products such as coffee, jasmine, strawberries or in this case, cannabis. This type of processing is both necessary for the development of novel products and can be beneficial to overall wellness.