July 27, 2024

Top Ways To Isolate Terpene Efficiently!

Terpene is a kind of organic compound produced by several types of plants. It is a unique compound and is known for its strong smell and odor. It is usually found in the plant of cannabis and is responsible for the strong smell and essence of cannabis or marijuana. Terpene not only ensures the flavor, fragrance, and aroma of cannabis but also has various other benefits too. They are immensely advantageous in to treat issues like inflammation because it has umpteen inflammatory properties that make it beneficial. Terpene is usually found in the plant of cannabis, and as it has umpteen health benefits, people have started to extracting Terpene out of cannabis to use in other products. This process of obtaining Terpene from cannabis is known as terpene isolation.

Terpenes have various such properties that help to improve human health, which has increased its importance and has attracted people towards terpene isolation. Terpene isolation is a unique process, and various equipment is used in this process. A specific process needs to be followed to perform proper extraction. However, there are multiple ways to isolate Terpene from cannabis plants, and everyone follows the method that is most suitable to them. Terpenes are also available in the different so you can shop Terp flavors and buy your favorite one.

Most efficient methods of extracting Terpene from cannabis

Extraction with Carbon Dioxide

There are numerous extraction methods for Terpene, but one of the most popular and used extraction methods is the Carbon Dioxide Extraction as it is highly efficient and leaves no unwanted particles or residue after the completion of extraction. Most of the ways leave some residue behind, but the Carbon Dioxide method is one of the cleanest methods and produces on residue. Carbon dioxide has a unique property, which makes it convert from its gaseous form to a liquid state when it is put under high pressure.

This property plays a significant role in the process of extraction of Terpene. To begin the process, the cannabis material is put into a tube, and then in that tube, carbon dioxide is being passed under high pressure. The pressure turns it into a liquid state, and when it passes through the tube, it gets converted back into its gaseous but leaves the needed compounds from the plant as a residue.

The Alcohol isolation

In this method, Alcohol is the most crucial thing which is used to extract Terpene from the plant. Another form of Alcohol, ethanol, is used in the process, and it is quite effective. There are umpteen ways to use Alcohol to extract Terpene, and the type of method that should be used highly depends on the temperature. There is various equipment used in the process of extraction, and one of the most important pieces of equipment is the extraction equipment. Ethanol is put with the plant using the extraction equipment, and in the end, the ethanol gets evaporated, and the required material or Terpene is left behind. It is one of the simplest and most effective processes for terpene isolation.

Extraction with butane and propane

Butane and propane both are extensively used in the extraction of Terpene from cannabis, but most of the time, propane is preferred more as compared to butane as it is believed to be better and highly efficient, specifically for the terpene isolation. Butane is also highly useful and is more preferred for purposes like extraction of cannabinoids as it is more suitable for that purpose. When butane or propane is used, a unique pressurized extraction system is used for the process, which takes the butane or propane as the solvent and uses them to extract Terpene, a kind of hash oil. It is a challenging task to handle propane and butane in this process because both of these gases are highly inflammable, and it is highly essential to handle them with care as any mistake and lead to a dangerous accident.

Expression method

It is one of the oldest methods of terpene isolation, but it is not much popular nowadays as various new and modern methods have been developed. It was used way back when people used the plant material and crushed them to obtain Terpene. Basically, people used to cut the plant of cannabis into tiny pieces, and they crush them completely. Crushing them led to the production of juice from the plant, which they collected. After obtaining the juice, it was put through the process of centrifugation at a high pace, which made it evaporate and leaves behind the needed material, Terpene.

Extraction with steam distillation

Terpene is usually produced in the cells of the plant, and they store it in their special glands. Steam distillation is used to collect Terpene when the plant releases it, and most of the time, a combination of hydro and water distillation is used to collect them. Distillation helps to separate the crucial elements and components from the mixture that is heated at a specific temperature. The steam’s temperature is adjustable and can be altered according to the needs, requirements, and sensitivity of the oils obtained.

What are the traditional methods for terpene isolation from cannabis?

There are umpteen traditional methods for terpene isolation, but some of the most used and efficient methods are hydrodistillation and steam distilling. In the steam distilling, the plant is collected in a basket, and it is suspended over boiling water. The steam produced by the water passes through the plant, and the oils like Terpene get dissolved in the steam. Moving further, the steam reaches the distiller, which condenses it, and the condensation converts the steam in the liquid state. Terpene is quite light, which makes it float over the liquid and east to collect.

The second important method hydrodistillation is quite the same to steam distilling, but the only significant difference is that in this method, the plant is directly put into the boiling water instead of a basket, but there are some downfalls of these methods too. One of the most significant disadvantages of these methods is that the cannabis plant is exposed to high temperatures that harm it.