Sharing with permission a blog post from Michigan Hemp Solutions on the use of CO2 in cannabis extraction. If your company is in the developing industry, this article provides great information on the process. Feel free to reach out to Michigan Hemp Solutions at 866-758-5487 or visit their website at https://michiganhempsolutions.com/ For all your carbon dioxide needs contact TCSCO2 at 866-763-2427.

Michigan Hemp Solutions is here to provide our clients with a variety of products based on the needs that you present us with. We want to provide you with clean cannabis extracts with consistency. Using CO2 Extraction allows for us to provide an array of products. We pride ourselves on being able to meet the demands of our clients and being a sustainable business conscience to our earth. Concentrate sales are now higher than the sale of dry flower because the plant profile is preserved, and the dosage is more suitable to the consumer’s needs.

Our CO2 extraction process allows us to select specific cannabinoids to deliver to our clients based on their needs. Our CO2 system can adapt to client needs by adjusting perameters for different cannabis extracted products. System changes include adjusting pressure, temperature, and flow rate to manipulate the super critical fluid within the system. As our client’s needs shift so can our production, CO2 allows us to be precise on the compounds we select to extract, and this is a key benefit to our business. There are many other extraction methods available to the industry that are great at making one product. We pride ourselves on being a company that produces full spectrum cannabis oils.

CO2 readily evaporates from the oil leaving no residue once the oil reaches atmospheric conditions. CO2’s evaporation and terpene preservation leads to a natural tasting product and a golden color oil. Running supercritical or liquid CO2 (subcritical) through raw material also kills most microbial contaminants. Ultimately CO2’s ability to be fluid and ever changing allows us to stay ahead of the markets needs by meeting your need for broad-spectrum, green and clean oil!

CO2 extraction is ideal for cannabis as well as food, pharmaceutical, and fragrance industries due to its ability to process in a delicate manor. Settings such as temperature, and pressure ensures that we will not damage frail trichomes when performed correctly. Cannabis concentrates are targeted for an assortment of cannabinoids, terpenes and other components of the dried cannabis plant. Our goal at MHS is to be consistent and efficent in achieving therapeutic results. Current studies have suggested that extracting terpenes can enhance the medicinal effects of CBD along with other cannabinoids. The proper extraction of terpenes from specific strains allows us to satisfy medicinal market demands. If you cultivated a variety based on the medicinal value of that plant we are able to preserve and prevent those terpenes from getting lost in the extraction method. Consumers will be able to measure the quality based on effects upon consumption.  

Cannabis can be extracted using several different methods aside from CO2 extraction. Butane and Ethanol are the two mentioned and are of the most popular. They have a commonplace in the cannabis industry for multiple reasons, one being the strength of the solution. Ethanol and Butane are powerful solvents that have an all or nothing personality. They pull out wax, chlorophyll, fat, terpenes and cannabinoids. This leaves no room for control on what is targeted for extraction.

Cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are two of the main compounds extracted from the cannabis plant. Aren’t these the most important two? But what about terpenes? How do terpenes play a role in extraction and why are they so crucial? Terpenes are responsible for most of the plants profile. Another way to look at terpenes is considering them like the plant’s personality traits. Before I mentioned that you may cultivate certain strains because of their medicinal profile, this profile comes from the terpenes housed in the flowers trichomes. These same trichomes house CBD and THC as well.

We deliver a ‘full-spectrum’ extract meaning the complete profile of the plants medicinal value which includes both terpenes and cannabinoids. Through extraction the cannabinoids are preserved but as well as the delicate terpenes that are volatile through the extraction process. With CO2 extraction the delicacy of the process allows for the consumer to receive that full-spectrum oil they may be in search of.

By changing the pressure and temperature of the CO2 you can create Supercritical CO2 or CO2 in its liquid state (subcritical). Due to CO2’s properties it can be described as a “green” solvent because it is both non-toxic and non-flammable. This alleviates the concern for residue in the final product and the chance of explosion during processing. Carbon Dioxide is generally recognized as safe by the FDA. The legislation around health and safety places heavy restrictions around solvent that are acceptable. CO2 is most acceptable because it is natural. Extracts made from CO2 are closest to the natural starting material which is our goal in extraction.

The liquid CO2 is pumped through the plant material dissolving the terpenes and oils. After this process is complete the CO2 returns to its natural state as a gas allowing the terpenes and oils to flow out for collection. Once the terpenes are collected, we can run the process again this time at a higher temperature and pressure specifically targeting cannabinoids. Once the cannabinoids have been extracted, they can be winterized to remove fats, then the terpenes from the first extraction can be added back into the product creating a full-spectrum oil.

CO2 extraction is both customizable and clean. CO2 extraction allows for us to extract any desired compound(s) to create therapeutic CBD-based medicine that is valuable in terpenes, aroma, and quality. We truly believe that with our CO2 extraction system we can meet a limitless variety of products for you and the consumer you are targeting.

Terpenes are a large part of the full-spectrum oil that we are trying to achieve but you may be asking why terpenes are so crucial to the medicinal user of cannabis products. Terpenes are essential oils that work with cannabinoids to create the entourage effect. The entourage effect is simply the way the whole cannabis plant including cannabinoids, flavonoids, terpenes and other substances naturally found in cannabis work together to create homeostasis in your body. Terpenes also have a large number of medicinal benefits!

Studies have been conducted over the years and it has been found that any terpene concentration above 0.5% is considered to effectively change behavior and bring out physiological changes. Patients who showed symptoms of depression were exposed to terpenes and nine out of the twelve patients reported that their depression subsided. There are over 200 terpenes in the cannabis plant resulting in a different aromatic flavor for each plant profile. Terpenes are also found in a grand host of other plants such as hops, lemongrass, thyme and citrus fruits just to name a few. There is a terpene wheel that displays where certain terpenes are found and the aroma and flavor profile! Although the cannabis plant has 200 terpenes there are more than 30,000 known terpenes. If you are curious, check out the wheel. Terpenes health benefits also deserve a mention. Studies conducted in the last five to ten years have proved that the terpene Limonene stunt cancer cell growth, prevents the cells from spreading and often causes the cancerous cells to die. The terpene Linalool or a dominant terpene found in lavender is known for its anticonvulsant properties, or in other terms has been found to stop seizure activity in the brain. There is so much more and beyond to talk about terpenes!

We hope that after this rather lengthy article you have a better understanding of CO2 extraction and its importance and the benefits of a full-spectrum oil.