Hi Graywolf, can you please give me some advice regarding the filtration process and the mould?
Question1) Does your filtering method with the 0.2 micron syringe filter decrease the potency of the oil by filtering out the dissolved cannabinoids and terpenes within the solution?
No, the cannabinoids and terpenes are in solution. We are filtering out things in suspension.
I have been drying cannabis in an environment that was too damp and cold. The result is that the buds look perfectly normal but some have a tiny bit of spider web-like threads on them, which is an onset of mould. These spider web-like threads can barely be noticed with the bear eye and I used a jeweller’s loupe to identify them. However when inspecting the buds under 60X magnified jeweller’s loupe, I saw just a few white spores on long shafts on some buds and this sounds like Aspergillum mould, but I'm not even sure that it’s possible to distinguish Aspergillum mould from Botrytis mould under a 60x jewel’s loop.
Easier at 100X and here are some pictures:
Question2) If the buds look perfectly normal and only with the help of a jewler's loop I was able to spot a tiny bit of spider web-like onset of mould and just a tiny bit of the spores on long shafts then my weed can't possibly have much aflatoxins, right?
You might check it with a NDT UV blacklight to see if it phosphoresces green.
Any other person would probably not even have noticed the onset of mould on my buds. If I make rick simpson oil with190 proof grain alcohol and then heat it to 250 F for 25 minutes to decarb it, then it would eliminate all the mould and allergens from the oil, but the tiny bit of the aflatoxins will still be present even if I use your filtering method with a 0.2 micron syringe filter.
Question 3) If I only use the heat and 190 proof grain alcohol, without the 0.2 micron filtration, then I will destroy the proteins and therefore kill all the spores but could it still cause an allergic reaction for sensitive people?
You can kill the spores or filter them out, but you can't filter out aflatoxins, because they are in solution.
Question 4) Will the 0.2 filter really remove all the mould residue and therefore prevent any allergic reactions even in people allergic and sensitive to mould?
I wouldn't suggest giving anyone sensitive to mold any form of mold, or mold aflatoxins, under any circumstances, but 0.2 microns is the Pharma filtration standard, because it is small enough to take out even the smallest bacteria.
P.S. I know that the filter does not remove any aflatoxins that have already been developed by the mould.
Sorry, really did not want to make that long of a post, but can't find any answer to my questions anywhere else and hope you can enlighten me.
Many thanks in advance!