The proliferation of cannabis that is over-dried on legal markets continues. This can be due to a variety of factors, including poor drying and curing conditions and/or methods or purposeful overdrying in order to reduce the risk for bacterial and fungal contamination.
Add these practices to a market that is already saturated and has a low retail turnover rate. The result? A backlog of freshly harvested cannabis sitting in warehouses, while the older harvests are shipped. The quality of dried cannabis will diminish as it ages as the terpenes degrade.
According to my rule of thumb I would consider raw dried cannabis buds a perishable product with an approximate shelf-life of one year when stored in a dark, cool environment. The shelf life can be prolonged if sealed containers are kept in sub-zero temperatures until they’re ready to deliver. It is possible to store cannabis for over a full year if it has been stored properly.
Terpene Frenzy
As the amount of over-dried and older cannabis has increased, terpenes derived from cannabis as well as non-cannabis have been produced in various forms and sold to hemp and cannabis growers.
Gizmos, gadgets, and other devices are being developed to help cannabis buds that lack terpenes apply these additives. Applicators include plastic sprayers and pressurized chambers to deep infuse terpenes to the plant.
Many vape products contain terpenes. This is well known (and mentioned often on the packaging or marketing materials). Their use is expanding beyond concentrates. One of the biggest steam-distilled cannabis-derived Terpene producers told me that its largest client was one of California’s largest greenhouse growers, which infused terpenes in cannabis for pre-rolled joint.
In spite of my efforts, terpeneless cannabis, which is a broken product, cannot be fixed. Why would anyone overdry or evaporate terpenes to then reapply new terpenes. Terpenes, which are compounds, work in conjunction with cannabinoids. It’s this combination that is responsible for the entourage/synergistic effects with the human endocannabinoid system.
Terpenes are not all created equal
Terpenes, which are aromatic natural compounds, are the ones responsible for aroma and taste in everything from cannabis to other plants and animals. They are also found in beer and beers. According to 2017, There are more than 560 distinct chemical compounds More than 100 distinct cannabinoids, and 150 unique terpenes have been noted in cannabis.
What are the sources of terpenes that can be used on marijuana today?
- Food-grade terpenes: The terpenes are usually obtained from fruit and plants through hydrodistillation or steam distillation. The terpenes derived from cannabis are sold as steam-distilled oils, but they lack the vibrant color of those collected without heat.
- CO2“-extracted fractionalized (terpene): CO2CO-derived cannabis extracts are inferior to those extracted by other methods. CO2 Extractors use dried cannabis, which is low in terpenes.
- Terpenes derived from cannabis thin-film distillate: Heat is used to convert and degrade terpenes.
- Rosin sauce: Rosin is melted and separated into cannabinoids, terpenes and other compounds under vacuum. They are used in the rosin cartridges.
- Extract of hydrocarbon derived cannabis This produces a sauce that separates THCA (and the other cannabinoids) from the remaining terpenes and terpenoids. They are used in vapes carts, and they can be mixed with flavorless distillates to make vapes carts.
The essential oils contained in each of the terpene types varies.
Essential oil comes from “quintessential” oil, which is the Aristotelian idea that all matter is made up of four basic elements: air, water, fire and earth. Quintessence was thought to represent the spirit or life force. The process of distillation or evaporation was thought to remove the “spirit” or “life force” from plants. The modern term for alcoholic drinks is “spirits”.
The analogy could be more of a fact rather than a metaphor. The headspace measuring technology The “aura” of the plants can be detected by detecting the volatile compounds.
Aromatic Complexes
Fresh bud oils are dominated by monoterpenes (92%), with only 7% being sesquiterpenes, and less than 1% comprised of other classes, such as esters and simple ketones. Unsurprisingly, the amount of oil that was recovered decreased as a result of drying plant material. It appears that the majority of loss occurs during the initial week of drying. The monoterpenes in the cannabis plant are significantly more lost during drying as compared to sesquiterpenes.
It is nearly impossible, as of now, to reproduce the aroma of more than 150 cannabis terpenes known using only a few food grade terpenes. They are predominantly sold as single terpene compositions—pinene, limonene, linalool, etc.
Steam distillation alone converts terpenes from plant materials, so these single-terpene compounds aren’t even true to their original source. Most aromatic extracts are made at temperatures below or equal to ambient temperature, which helps prevent thermal degradation.
There are limitations to even cannabis-derived Terpenes. CO2 Extraction is done using dried plant materials, in which terpenes are already reduced by a portion during drying. Then, another portion of terpenes is lost in CO2 recovery.
Heat compromises the resulting steam- or hydrodistillation extract, and some water-soluble Terpenes are lost in the water.
The heat generated by thin-film distillation can also compromise the extract. In addition, it is possible that the first extraction will only isolate a fraction (or none) of the terpenes found in the fresh bud.
Priority Check
Perhaps it would be more efficient to invest in a better quality terpene/essential oil rather than re-infusing one of lesser quality, which ultimately results in inferior products. Drying and Curing Buds should be preserved and retained terpenes. It is important to have better infrastructure and protocols for long-term storage. This will take many years to reach a normal level of inventory.
It would be refreshing to see cannabis products that have their souls or auras preserved.