Koerta
- 21
- 3
Evening everyone! Hopefully y'all are all staying dabbed up & happy!
But before I go too heavy, let's clear up some items first...
What are trichomes? (not trichromes interweb...)
- They are the hairlike, glandular structures protruding from the epidermis of a plant. They contain the bulk of the desired molecules sought in most botanical extractions. They look like microscopic white (or transparent) pins with clear heads initially, that degrade to amber and then brown as the plant matures.
What are terpenes?
- These are a huge class of aromatic, oily compounds found in plants (not only cannabis, but many plants). They serve as chemical signals, insecticides, fungicides and more to assist the plant's function.
How can we get at the goodies locked inside of these trichomes then?
- several methods are commonly used today including:
solvent extraction- propane/butane,
solventless or water extraction,
dry-sifting techniques,
ultrasonic transduction
There are advantages and disadvantages to each which I'll address briefly:
Solvent extraction-
Pros: best possible terpene profile, cheap due to recycleability of the solvent
Cons: can create a dangerous environment if accidents arise, explosive gas release, toxic nature of solvent, process is hard to scale up to industrial size. Requires specialized equipment and personnel.
Water-based extraction-
Pros: cheap, easy to do, little equipment or training is required, safe
Cons: cannot remove as many terpenes as solvents, requires more specific material preparation for best results(freeze-dried crumble).
Dry-sifting-
Pros: easy, cheap, simple equipment requirements, shallow learning curve to operate, old-school
Cons: cannot avoid introducing some plant material which produces a slightly more "planty" taste profile.
Ultrasonic transduction-
New application of a technology used in supplement manufacturing for years
Pros: more complete collection/harvest of the trichome heads, high throughput
Cons: expensive initial equipment investment
But before I go too heavy, let's clear up some items first...
What are trichomes? (not trichromes interweb...)
- They are the hairlike, glandular structures protruding from the epidermis of a plant. They contain the bulk of the desired molecules sought in most botanical extractions. They look like microscopic white (or transparent) pins with clear heads initially, that degrade to amber and then brown as the plant matures.
What are terpenes?
- These are a huge class of aromatic, oily compounds found in plants (not only cannabis, but many plants). They serve as chemical signals, insecticides, fungicides and more to assist the plant's function.
How can we get at the goodies locked inside of these trichomes then?
- several methods are commonly used today including:
solvent extraction- propane/butane,
solventless or water extraction,
dry-sifting techniques,
ultrasonic transduction
There are advantages and disadvantages to each which I'll address briefly:
Solvent extraction-
Pros: best possible terpene profile, cheap due to recycleability of the solvent
Cons: can create a dangerous environment if accidents arise, explosive gas release, toxic nature of solvent, process is hard to scale up to industrial size. Requires specialized equipment and personnel.
Water-based extraction-
Pros: cheap, easy to do, little equipment or training is required, safe
Cons: cannot remove as many terpenes as solvents, requires more specific material preparation for best results(freeze-dried crumble).
Dry-sifting-
Pros: easy, cheap, simple equipment requirements, shallow learning curve to operate, old-school
Cons: cannot avoid introducing some plant material which produces a slightly more "planty" taste profile.
Ultrasonic transduction-
New application of a technology used in supplement manufacturing for years
Pros: more complete collection/harvest of the trichome heads, high throughput
Cons: expensive initial equipment investment