Jeff from Xylem Technologies and Bill from Beard Bros Pharms discuss proper methods for heating extracts
by Jeff Wu - March 17, 2022
Heating extracts for cart filling or vape formulation is, at its core, very simple and with the correct equipment mostly effortless to incorporate into any manufacturing workflow. In this article, learn how to heat distillate, live resin, and rosin accurately. Performing this process incorrectly results in oxidized brown cartridge fill lines, denatured terpenes, and resin discoloration.
Below is a quick primer with procedures and instructions on extract heating.
Topics covered:
- Procedures and temperature settings
- Degassing extracts
- Low-cost equipment workarounds
Procedures and settings for heating extracts
Hemp & cannabis extracts are incredibly viscous and heat transfer takes time. Follow the procedures below to efficiently heat extracts.
Attempting to speed up the process with excessive-high temperatures or shear homogenizers will only lead to a product that oxidizes (browning) and denatured terpenes which are very off-putting.
Procedures and temperature settings
From cold storage, take the extract into a temperature-controlled oven or water bath.
If using a water bath, make sure the bath covers the maximum line of the extract. Usually, it takes about 1 hour for a 2kg jar to come to temperature.
If using a lab oven, place the jar in the middle of the oven in the center to ensure good convection around the container. If the oven is using forced air, heat up times will take up to 2 hours.
Temperature settings are as follows:
- D9 distillate: 60C
- D8 distillate: 60C
- Live resin: 45-50C (3 hours max*)
- Rosin: 45-50C (3 hour max*)
- Vaporizer ready CBD distillate / crude: 50C
*Live resin and rosin come from raw extracted plant materials. Extended elevated temperatures will slowly start to cook the extracts similar to slow cook sous vide process.
Degassing extracts
While heating, degas the solution by cracking the lid on the container even if the material has been stored under nitrogen or argon. This slight lid will help excess gas to escape and make sure the material does not off-gas at working temperatures.
It is important to degas extracts as they come to temperature. Degassing ensures there is no trapped gas from terpenes or inert storage gasses. Trapped gas pockets impact filling equipment accuracy and continue to off-gas inside the cartridge causing leaks. After 1 hour, the extracts will be ready to use.
Low-cost equipment workarounds
If your lab does not have a water bath or lab-grade ovens, a common device to use is the Anova sous vide system which is sold in Amazon or Target. This brand in particular is built with lab-grade temperature control mechanisms and can substitute for a lab-grade temperature control device.
Closing
Heating extract product during formulation and transfer is very easy to achieve. Heating devices that eliminate temperature hotspots keep extracts safe from degradation.
