What’s this weird substance on my homemade gummies?

Getting the right answers in your cannabis journey can be tricky. But with The Cannigma’s Ask the Expert, you can find questions from readers like you, answered by a real cannabis pharmacist.

Question:

While cooling my gummies in the freezer a tan colored substance separated from the gummies. I thought it might be the coconut oil, but there is no taste to it. What could this be?

Answer:

Thanks much for your questions and bummer to hear about your gummies separating.

You are correct in assuming that the tan substance is the coconut oil separating from the gummy mix.

This is a known problem with gummies and also the reason lecithin is such an important part of the recipe. If you used lecithin (or another emulsifier), then it is likely that you either didn’t stir well enough or didn’t let your jello cool down quite enough before placing it in the freezer.

Next time you can consider one or all of these strategies:

Stirring more to ensure incorporation of the oil into the water
Using an immersion blender
Allowing your warm gummy mix to cool a bit more before placing in the mold (yes, I know that the recipe says to hurry – it’s a fine balance)

I hope that helps and your next batch comes out better! The internet reports a lot of success with this recipe and I am confident you’ll nail it this next time.

Be well and best of luck,
Codi Peterson, PharmD
Scientific advisor, The Cannigma
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