Storage of extracts.

[MisterTee]

Lately I've had success boiling down 20% THC bud with ethyl alcohol (95%) combined small amounts of coconut oil, Mekhong Whiskey, cocoa powder (Van Houten's), and a little sugar. 

The herb is decarbed in my toaster oven, then ground and sifted. The other ingredients are added and put on low heat for a slow boil that reduces it to a paste in less than an hour.

My question concerns long-term storage.

Even in a tightly closed container I have had a white fungus-like growth form on the top, just on the surface. Storage temps were warm to hot.

Any information about proper ways to keep the stuff would be much appreciated.

[SamuiGrower]

Sugar=microbial growth.

 

Add your ‘other’ ingredients as you use it, not before.

 

Keep it cool, dark and with very little ‘headspace’ (column of air between the extract and the lid)

[MisterTee]

3 minutes ago, SamuiGrower said:

Sugar=microbial growth.

 

Add your ‘other’ ingredients as you use it, not before.

 

Keep it cool, dark and with very little ‘headspace’ (column of air between the extract and the lid)

Thanks for that.

Would it be a good idea to refridgerate or freeze the extract?

[bamnutsak]

How did you arrive at your recipe?

 

How do you consume your "extract"?

 

Can you add more safe alcohol at the end of the process, after fast cooling, in order to kill the botrytis and powdery mildew?

 

 

[stoner]

1 hour ago, MisterTee said:

Thanks for that.

Would it be a good idea to refridgerate or freeze the extract?

fridge. freezing it will create ice crystals. water and extracts are not good friends at all. 

 

if its any consolation i keep my dabs in parchment paper in zip lock bags in my fridge. they last for months on end. today im working on stuff from jan 2023.

[SamuiGrower]

1 hour ago, stoner said:

freezing it will create ice crystals. water and extracts are not good friends at all. 

Good advice. Cool dark environment. The airspace between the extract and the lid creates oxidation, that will degrade it as fast as microbial or fungal contamination .Try to minimize it.

 

2 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

botrytis and powdery mildew?

 

You should not be extracting flower that has had either.

[MisterTee]

10 hours ago, bamnutsak said:

How did you arrive at your recipe?

 

How do you consume your "extract"?

 

Can you add more safe alcohol at the end of the process, after fast cooling, in order to kill the botrytis and powdery mildew?

 

 

Trial and error mostly.

The addition of coconut oil was for its supposed quality of helping the extraction process along with the ethyl alcohol.

Cocoa powder and sugar was to mask... as much as possible... the somewhat unpleasant taste of ganja combined with the nasty taste of ethyl alcohol.

The result has been notably successful.

A potent semi-sweet chocolate paste is produced that can be consumed in all sorts of ways.

My only problem is keeping it without having it spoil on me.

[MisterTee]

10 hours ago, stoner said:

fridge. freezing it will create ice crystals. water and extracts are not good friends at all. 

 

if its any consolation i keep my dabs in parchment paper in zip lock bags in my fridge. they last for months on end. today im working on stuff from jan 2023.

OK, so avoid freezing but keep it in the fridge in jars with little or no airspace under the lid.

Is that right?

[stoner]

6 minutes ago, MisterTee said:

OK, so avoid freezing but keep it in the fridge in jars with little or no airspace under the lid.

Is that right?

follow what samui said. 

 

1 hour ago, MisterTee said:

ganja combined with the nasty taste of ethyl alcohol.

try making yourself a homemade vacuum purge container. pretty easy and cheap to make. you could purge out a lot more of the residual alcohol. 

 

 

[SamuiGrower]

17 hours ago, MisterTee said:

The addition of coconut oil was for its supposed quality of helping the extraction process along with the ethyl alcohol.

The ethyl alcohol (ethanol) does the extraction. It’s a polar solvent and takes everything with it, chlorophyll, waxes, water, etc. 

 

Though some cannabinoids will dissolve in the coconut oil (not as efficiently as an alcohol or hydrocarbon solvent), it’s the MCT’s (medium chain triglycerides) in coconut oil that gets it into your bloodstream by bypassing the liver (first pass metabolism) without diluting it or changing it (11-OH-THC). This will also lead to faster onset of effects - a bonus! MCT 

16 hours ago, MisterTee said:

OK, so avoid freezing but keep it in the fridge in jars with little or no airspace under the lid.

Is that right?

Not in the refrigerator. Leave the fluff out and nice it up as you use it - whatever makes the medicine go down. Create your concentrate in an amount that befits your usage.

16 hours ago, stoner said:

try making yourself a homemade vacuum purge container. pretty easy and cheap to make. you could purge out a lot more of the residual alcohol. 

Spot on. ???? It’s the residual ethanol that makes it taste like crap. A low and slow vac purge and you won’t need the cocoa….

[MisterTee]

@SamuiGrower...

Many thanks for that concise explanation of coconut oil's role in transmission.

[stoner]

you should be able to mcguyver something similar to this. the vacuum pump can be found at many air conditioner repair places. show somchai a picture of the pump. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/BACOENG-Gallon-Vacuum-Chamber-Stage/dp/B00W8ZU5FK

[opporna]

On 6/17/2023 at 8:52 PM, stoner said:

try making yourself a homemade vacuum purge container. pretty easy and cheap to make. you could purge out a lot more of the residual alcohol. 

More details would be appreciated, how did you do this?

[stoner]

56 minutes ago, opporna said:

More details would be appreciated, how did you do this?

i never had to make my own. back in canada they were easily purchased cheap. basically a chamber with a lid (plexiglass) a gauge and a relief valve. 

 

here is an example.

 

https://ledab.ca/3-gallon-aluminum-vacuum-degassing-chamber-best-value-vacs/

 

the vacuum pump can be had at most somchai aircon repair places. 

[Pouatchee]

2 things... dont get me wrong... anyone who knows me knows i am a fervent advocate of weed. but... in thought extracts were illegal i toyland and if so, isnt it taboo to discuss here?

 

On 6/18/2023 at 1:09 PM, SamuiGrower said:

The ethyl alcohol (ethanol) does the extraction. It’s a polar solvent and takes everything with it, chlorophyll, waxes, water, etc. 

i disagree that chlorophyll is removed,  and that is why the extract is black... also this is why there is plenty of discussion on using hexane to remove the chlorophyll...

Edited June 25, 2023 by Pouatchee

[SamuiGrower]

12 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

i disagree that chlorophyll is removed,  and that is why the extract is black... also this is why there is plenty of discussion on using hexane to remove the chlorophyll...

Not sure what the disagreement is. Perhaps I was vague. ????

 

Ethanol is a common and popular solvent in the extraction of cannabis/hemp. It is scalable, economical, safer than hydrocarbons, and FDA approved in food products. Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is the spirits we consume. It is not the only solvent used and greatly depends on what you need to achieve and the economic model/budget created. Every type of extraction has its pros and cons.

 

It should be pointed out, extraction science is not unique to cannabis. Botanical extraction has been done for hundreds of years and is only, in the last two decades, being applied to cannabis. The fragrance, F&B and nut oil industry are the progenitors of the information we use in cannabis. 

 

Ethanol has unique properties in that it is both polar and non-polar (alkyl and hydroxyl group). This, in and of itself, makes it a good fit for cannabis extraction. It strips ionic and non-ionic compounds: chlorophyll, water, waxes, lipids, lignins….pretty much everything but cellulose. 

 

Hydrocarbon solvents, like n-butane, n-propane are excellent solvents that will remove cannabinoids and leave behind the chlorophyll but that comes at a cost: reduced yield (compared to ethanol).

 

You are correct about hexane in chlorophyll mitigation, as its non-polar qualities readily absorb chlorophyll but is rarely used in cannabis extractions due to its extreme toxicity and the expense in removing every last bit of it. In an organic chem lab, hexane is used if the product is NOT to be consumed. This is not to say that it’s never used, it’s just expensive to get it to safety standards. There are better choices (acetone and ether but they are rarely used as well) but chlorophyll mitigation in cannabis extraction is predominantly done through:

 

Winterization: The cannabis extraction standard. The solvent used in the extraction (ethanol) is cryo-chilled to -40 to -50 degrees. The waxes, lipids/fats and chlorophyll will precipitate out. 

 

The maceration (solvent/cannabis) is then passed through vacuum filtration, leaving the impurities behind. Filtration is probably the most important step and often not done in “back room” ops. The solvent may then be passed through bleaching clay (fullers earth, bentonite and hybrids) with activated charcoal and DE to mitigate color and other impurities.

 

The resulting solvent is then run through a rotovap (vacuum distillation), SPD or molecular distillation to reclaim the solvent (ethanol) and leave behind the oil/distillate with that nice golden color.

 

Hydrocarbon extraction will have a continuous module for each of the above.

 

If your extract is dark (brown, black, green) it is because of impurities: mainly chlorophyll, waxes, lipids and plant matter. If it is bitter, it surely because of chlorophyll.

 

I hope this is helpful.

Edited June 26, 2023 by SamuiGrower

[Pouatchee]

3 hours ago, SamuiGrower said:

I hope this is helpful.

very much so

[stoner]

6 hours ago, SamuiGrower said:

If your extract is dark (brown, black, green) it is because of impurities: mainly chlorophyll, waxes, lipids and plant matter. If it is bitter, it surely because of chlorophyll.

age plays into this as well no ? darkening the extract as it ages. i have run the same material months apart and the difference is noticeable. even when winterized. dark can still be clear. 

[SamuiGrower]

8 minutes ago, stoner said:

age plays into this as well no ? darkening the extract as it ages.

Spot on. Absolutely and thank you for mentioning.
 

The always present oxidation. Think apples and potatoes as they brown, exposed to air. Both oxidative (air/oxygen) and enzymatic browning can occur. Sometimes it’s a positive - as in curing but mostly is an indication of degraded organic compounds. 
 

There have been a few studies quantifying the amount of Cannabinoid loss to age of flower. Not sure if that included ‘extracts’. As imagined, there is a potency drop and certainly flavor loss.

 

Fresh is best! (Or freshly made extracts are best!)

[stoner]

1 hour ago, SamuiGrower said:

Sometimes it’s a positive

free cbn for unsold flower :)