The quality and efficacy of CBD oil are largely determined by its purity level and winterization is a crucial purification process of CBD. CBD products extracted from the hemp plant cannot be used as such and instead, the plant material has to undergo extraction and purification processes before being converted to the final CBD product.
Understanding Winterization In Detail
The process of removal of lipids from the crude extract is generally termed as winterization and proper winterization is crucial in producing a high purity extract. There are several methods that can be employed to extract CBD from the hemp plant and the process that follows extraction is winterization.
The removal of lipids is a step that cannot be skipped due to the following reasons.
- Fats tend to dilute the cannabinoid content in CBD oil and lower its purity.
- The presence of fats can make distillates look less transparent affecting their market value.
- The presence of fats in vape CBD products can burn the coil and give a burnt taste to the vape pen.
- While smoking CBD products, the layer of cuticle wax burns away but while we vape in CBD, the temperature is not high enough to burn away the waxy lipid layer.
Impact Of Extraction Process On Winterization
The step that precedes winterization is extraction and the extraction method used can affect the winterization process.
The cold ethanol extraction method is known to minimize the fat content in the crude extract and as the temperature of the ethanol solvent gets lower, the fat content of the crude extract will reduce. Butane Hash oil extraction picks up a moderate amount of fat from the plant material while the CO2 extraction method pulls out a high amount of fat.
How Does Winterization Work?
Winterization is usually referred to as alcohol wash that removes the cuticle waxes from the oil by soaking it in oil and heating it to about 120 degrees. After the heating process, the oil is allowed to freeze for at least 24 hours. Winterization enables the removal of cuticle waxes as well as phytonutrients and produces a thick final product with a syrup-like consistency.
Even though cuticle waxes are not toxic like pesticides and heavy metals, their presence can affect the quality of CBD oil and decrease its efficacy and value. CBD oil manufactured by employing ideal extraction methods and proper winterization will have an appreciable quality profile that guarantees optimum medical benefits.