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Cannabis on Collision Course with Science

extractionmagazine.com ISSUE 11 Sept/Oct 2019

Viscosity Reductions of High Potency Cannabis Oils The Case for 100% Cannabis-Derived Formulations

What's Limited the Advancement of Extraction Processing? Displacing the 2019 Doldrums with Better Vision in 2020

The Science Behind the Cannabis Beverage Buzz Nanoemulsions are Driving the Market Get the Lead Out! Lead-Free Vape Cartridges

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Heidolph North America Cascade Sciences 224-265-9600 | HeidolphNA.com 503-847-9047 | cascadesciences.com @heiVape @cascade_botanical Contents The Vision of a 06 Revived Humanity Viscosity Reduction of 08 High Potency Cannabis Oils Publisher Get the Lead Out with MACE Media Group CEO 14 Lead-Free Vape Cartridges Celeste Miranda What has Limited the Advancement Editor-in-Chief 18 in Extraction Processing? Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D. Authors: Cannabis Put CO MIchael Coffin 2 Kent Hael 20 Extraction on the Map John MacKay, Ph.D. Olivia Montiano The Science Behind the Harold Han, Ph.D. 24 Cannabis Beverage Buzz Ben Larson Emmett McGregor Beyond Isolate: The Future Monica Vialpando, Ph.D. 26 of Hemp Ingredients Michael Tagen, Ph.D. Linda Klumpers, Ph.D. Cannabis-based Nanoemulsions: Designer 32 Promise and Pitfalls Marko Nedeljkovic Advertising The Word According to Julian Azevedo 40 an Extraction Legend Josh Meadows

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888-210-8356 6 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE The Vision of a Revived Humanity By Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D.

When we look back on any year, it can often be visualized for the medicinal properties they impart, and so this through filtered lenses. Hindsight and all of that. A year in labelling chaoticness needs vanquished through the actions the cannabis industry can be simultaneously frustrating and of responsible product manufacturers who recognize and exhilarating as mistakes and epiphanies co-exist in a quickly appreciate the obligation for accuracy and honesty. evolving, swirling cauldron of ideas, regulations, problems, emotions, and solutions. As we cast glances back over the events of 2019, they’re no doubt from a place of deeper understanding. Through all the You’ve no doubt recently read a few articles on vaping. Doom tribulations, at least we’ve learned something that can help scenarios escalated, and perhaps rightfully so, since cannabis us prepare for 2020, the year of perfect vision. As for my own consumers aren’t privy to lots of data regarding a product’s prophecy, I foresee changes at the state and national level, the chemical constituents, like levels of minor cannabinoids or latter of which will enable us to once again focus on something terpenes. Cutting agents, are unfortunately, therefore, lesser other than the prepubescent rants of alleged leaders. Perhaps on the molecular totem pole, and ingredient lists have yet to be this year of heightened sight will lead to migrating cannabis identified on cannabis products like vape cartridges. legalization over one border at a time, acting as a cohesive force for compassionate co-existence. Product labels on hemp-derived products have ingredients lists, but often, the labels contain gibberish that might not be Perhaps it will be the year where states unify, bringing their relevant, or accurate, or understood. There’re words like full- or discordant regulations into one set of governing rules such broad-spectrum, or THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)-free. I’ve seen that product venders can centralize manufacturing operations true-spectrum, whatever that means. Or full-spectrum MCT through expanded Business-to-Business transportation laws (medium chain triglycerides) oil, which is also infested with that enable interstate shipping. confusion. And perhaps our continued understanding of the best and Or there’re different potencies listed safest ways to utilize the cannabis plant’s medicine will not just on packaging box and product label. help us heal our individual conditions through our rekindling of Full-spectrum products are this ancient tradition; maybe, just maybe, in this year of perfect still testing as cannabidiol vision, our use of cannabis will help us coalesce as (CBD) isolate; products Earthlings through our recognition of what’s truly labeled as isolates important in life. can contain THC, a deleterious Bob Marley said “When you circumstance smoke the herb, it reveals to those with you to yourself.” In the drug screens year of perfect in their future. vision, it’s the I’ve seen this perfect time data. These same to reacquaint products are often yourself with used by consumers who you are. LOUISVILLE, KY AUG 10-12, 2020 8 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE Viscosity Reduction of High Potency Cannabis Oils The Case for 100% Cannabis-Derived Formulations By Michael Coffin, Bloom Farms

The viscosity of cannabis oils intended for use in vape Figure 1 - Viscosity pen cartridges is a critical factor in their formulation. If the Measurements of dynamic viscosity is too high, it won’t flow past the heating element and viscosity of a fluid are become aerosolized, too low, and it will leak. While hardware made routinely with a rotary has improved to address these problems, diluents of some viscometer and reported in form are often needed to create a viable product. The choice units of mPa • sec. of diluent(s) will influence not only the viscosity, but also the flavor and performance of the product. A spindle of precisely defined shape and surface Early e-cig hardware used a wicking system that relied on area is lowered into a fluid capillary motion to deliver the liquid to the heating element at a specific depth and the and aerosol system. These worked poorly for cannabis oils torque required to rotate the spindle is used to calculate this with much higher viscosity than nicotine delivery formulations, value. Since most fluids’ viscosities are extremely sensitive to which were primarily composed of propylene glycol / vegetable temperature, the temperature at which the measurement was glycerin blends. As the cannabis market marched towards made is commonly reported with the viscosity. Some viscosities higher cannabinoid content, assisted by the proliferation of of common fluids are listed in Table 1. molecular distillation techniques, the performance suffered even more. High potency THC extractions made this way were Diluents similar to molten glass in their physical behavior. Hardware Diluents have been used to thin (and in some cases thicken) advanced with porous ceramic wicks and changes in aerosol systems. Even with these changes, it became common to add Table 1 – Common Fluid Viscosities some form of diluent to increase performance and add some Fluid Viscosity (cP) at 24°C flavor and complexity to the product. Water 1 Beer 2 Viscosity Vegetable Oil 35 Viscosity is a measurement of the internal friction in a fluid. With two plates of area “A” separated by a fluid of thickness Propylene Glycol 42 “y”, the force “F” required to move one plate past another at 30 Weight Motor Oil 350 a velocity of “u” is proportional to the viscosity “µ”. In short, Glycerin 950 the viscosity is a proportionality term unique to each fluid that Honey 1,800 relates the factors fluid stress during flow. This was described Vitamin E 2,480 by Isaac Newton in Equation (1) and in Figure 1. Sour Cream 15,000 Ʈ μ սϐ = ỿϐ Silicone Sealant 200,000 – 800,000 Where Ʈ Ϝ is the internal shear stress of the fluid. 85% THC Cannabis Distillate 500,000 – 2,000,000+ =A EXTRACTION MAGAZINE 9

References [1] Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Viscosity, Accessed 10/06/2019. [2] Troutt W., DiDonato M., “Carbonyl Compounds Produced by Vaporizing Cannabis Oil Thinning Agents,” Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2017, Volume 23(11), p.879-884. [impact factor = 1.868; cited by 3] [3] Strongin R. “E-Cigarette Chemistry and Analytical Detection,” Annu. Rev. Anal. Chem. 2019, 12: p. 23-39. [impact factor = 8.721; cited by 1] 10 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE cannabis- or hemp-derived extracts. Early on, formulations used diluents common to e-cig fluids such as propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG). Research has indicated that these compounds may create harmful compounds when heated [2,3] and this practice has largely been abandoned. Since then, other diluents have entered into the scene including triethyl citrate, medium chain triglycerides (MCT), Vitamin E, phytol, and flavorless sesquiterpenes. Another popular method is to use plant-derived terpene blends intended to mimic popular cultivars. Finally, through careful selective extraction, complex The more negative the coefficient, the greater the effect on terpene extracts from cannabis can be used to thin the oils. viscosity reduction. From this, we can see that viscosity reduction is more effective using terpenes than MCT. An Experiment interesting observation is that the most effective diluent At our lab, we undertook a series of experiments to shed tested was myrcene, an acyclic monoterpene, while the least light onto the viscosity reduction abilities of some common effective is β-Caryophyllene, a bicyclic sesquiterpene. In diluents. This work was acknowledged by CANN (the Cannabis general, the monoterpenes were more effective as diluents Chemistry Subdivision of the American Chemical Society) and than the larger sesquiterpenes. Oxygenated terpenes were was awarded the ElSohly Award in 2018. We examined the less effective than mono- or sesquiterpenes of similar viscosity reduction properties of individual terpenes common in structure. cannabis, commercial plant-derived terpene blends, real terpene extracts from cannabis, as well as MCT. The results demonstrate The collected results of the viscosity reduction curves of the that one can achieve a proper viscosity reduction without the entire batch of material studied is presented in Figure 2. With addition of synthetic or non-cannabis derived diluents. a maximum functional viscosity of about 200,000 cP at 24°C for modern vape cartridges, it can be seen that additions in The procedure was to add the diluents to a model distillate in the 4% and higher range of are enough to create the required discrete percentages of mass, and then measure viscosity. viscosity reduction. Depending upon the terpenes utilized, With such high dependence on temperature, a viscosity more than this 4% limit may be required to impart proper versus temperature curve was established and measurements organoleptic qualities to the final blend. corrected for small (+/- 0.5°C) fluctuations. Data was plotted for each diluent and fit to an exponential curve. The coefficient Some discussion of the two Grand Daddy Purple (GDP) of determination (R-squared value) ranged from 0.999 to terpenes blends is appropriate. The “Plant-Based GDP” is a 0.974. Below is the general form of the equation: commercial blend of plant-derived terpenes formulated to δ ɑ Ƞ = Ƞ mimic the GDP, while the “Real GDP” was selectively extracted Where Ƞ = viscosity of diluted oil, Ƞ = viscosity of neat oil, terpenes from actual GDP cannabis. δ = diluent coefficient, ɑ = percent mass addition. This selective extraction yielded a material that was light yellow Results in color, very low viscosity (~15 cP at 24°C), and composed of The table below collects the findings. ~70% terpenes. Comparison of the gas chromatography traces shows the vast difference in complexity of the two materials Table 2 – Diluent Coefficients (Figure 3 and Figure 4). The high amounts of monoterpenes Diluent Diluent Coefficient (δ) R2 in the Plant-Based GDP help explain the greater viscosity Myrcene -0.614 0.974 reduction. Limonene -0.550 0.987 Conclusion Plant Based GDP Blend -0.373 0.985 We have shown here that it is possible to achieve effective Linalool -0.366 0.997 viscosity reduction of cannabis oils without the addition of α-Pinene -0.363 0.987 synthetic or other “natural” diluents. With proper care and Nerolidol -0.339 0.988 selective extraction of terpenes, one can provide a 100% Cannabis GDP Terpenes -0.290 0.998 cannabis-derived product that is not only highly potent, but authentically and ethically manufactured. While cheaper and -0.285 0.988 β-Caryophyllene more profitable, synthetic diluents can be avoided and one can MCT -0.252 0.999 provide as close to a “full spectrum” product as possible. WITH BIG GROWTH, COMES BIG CHANGES AND EVEN BIGGER OPPORTUNITIES. MJBizCon 2019 will bring more exhibitors, more speakers, more sessions and even more professionals in the industry together than ever before.

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Figure 2 - Viscosity Collection

Figure 3 - Chromatogram of GDP Terpenes Derived from Cannabis

Figure 4 - Chromatogram of GDP Terpenes Derived from Other Botanicals

14 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE Get the Lead Out with Lead-Free Vape Cartridges By Kent Hael, ATLAS Group

Long before the media shockwaves reverberated throughout A misconception by many, current state standards actually the cannabis industry this summer, the writing was already allow for the presence of lead in passing heavy metals tests. on the wall. If you turned on your TV, or clicked around social California is credited for creating the most stringent regulatory media, or picked up a magazine, the news hit you in the face: standard for heavy metals. Most vape cartridges that pass state heavy-metals tests still contain lead levels of 0.4 or 0.3 Hundreds of Americans—including children—were being parts per million, just below the California legal limit. rushed to hospitals over mysterious illnesses caused by vaping. Some were dying. The headlines and ensuing After months of research and development, media maelstrom led to a series of governmental actions. the Atlas A3 Lead-Free has zero detectable levels of lead in In Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker ordered a four-month manufactured components or oil carried inside the cartridge, ban on the sale of all vaping products. [1] Days later on the with two independent labs confirming the findings. other side of the country, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee directed the state’s Board of Health to enact an emergency ban on all Will the Industry Adopt this New Standard? flavored vaping products. [2] The vape crisis that rocked the industry over the summer was not related to lead. Instead, the chemical culprits were The blaring headlines were a wake-up call for the cannabis additives such as thinning/flavoring agents, carrier oils, vitamin industry. To be clear, the majority of the health issues E acetate and an assortment of other additives. surrounding the vape crisis were unrelated to the legal, regulated cannabis market. Unregulated states and black- We know that companies in legal states making and selling market bootlegged products were to blame for the vast regulated products were not, for the most part, responsible majority of hospitalizations and fatalities. But, producers of for the health issues. There’s still a lot we just don’t know, but THC-related vape pens were not immune. there is one thing we know with 100% certainty. There is no level of lead that is acceptable in a vape cartridge. Clearly, nobody saw this coming. But the industry was so We have an opportunity as a legal and regulated cannabis focused on ‘The Next Big Thing’ that it failed to examine the industry to set a higher standard and distance ourselves landscape. from the un-regulated vaping industry. Embracing a lead-free standard before being regulated to do so is a visible way to The health and safety of the cannabis consumer was not being put the health of the consumer first—something the legal and adequately addressed, and the situation was exacerbated by regulated cannabis market continues to do. state heavy-metal standards allowing the presence of lead. Lead in Your Lungs Is Harmful Get the Lead Out A unanimous scientific consensus exists—supported by Early this year, the engineers at Atlas Technology completed the World Health Organization [4], the US Food and Drug development of a vape cartridge containing no detectable Administration [5] and the Centers for Disease Control levels of lead, a first of its kind. The cartridge not only met [6]—that there is no safe level of exposure to lead, which is the heavy-metal standard for every legal state, it exceeded the outlawed in other common consumer products. Why should standard—by a wide margin in many jurisdictions. [3] vape cartridges be excluded? EXTRACTION MAGAZINE 15 16 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE

More than 35 million units of THC-containing vape products References were sold between Sept. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, 2019 in [1] https://www.mass.gov/guides/vaping-public-health- California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington, according to emergency#-information-for-retailers a report from Headset, a Seattle-based data analytics firm. [2] “Inslee issues executive order to change how state [7] Vape cartridges have become the #2 product category in will regulate vaping industry in light of recent health cannabis; only flower sales are greater. crisis,” www.wa.gov, posted September 27, 2019; accessed October 6, 2019. BUILD IN 15 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN The rapid growth of cannabis concentrates has helped fuel C1D1 ENVIRONMENTS the cannabis industry, and that growth will continue for the [3] https://leadfreevapecarts.com/wp-content/ PLACE & PODS DESIGNED foreseeable future. According to a report by ArcView Market uploads/2019/09/Atlas-Whitepaper-Vape-Cartridges- • • Research in conjunction with BDS Analytics, consumer and-Lead-Contamination-9-23-19.pdf FOR SAFETY Extraction Labs Working Labs Grow Pods spending on cannabis concentrates in the United States ENGINEERED FOR [4] World Health Organization, “Lead poisoning C1D1 & C1D2 Controlled Environments was estimated at $3 billion in 2018—a 49% increase from and health,” www.who.int, posted August 23, 2018; SUCCESS PRICED RIGHT the previous year’s sales. [8] By 2022, ArcView forecasts accessed October 6, 2019. PodTronix Extraction Pods Americans will spend $8.4 billion on concentrate products. For are full featured extraction [5] US Food and Drug Administration, “Statement on lab environments in a comparison, ArcView estimates flower sales will be $8.5 billion high-cube shipping in 2022. federal and state collaboration to investigate respiratory container with safety illnesses reported after use of e-cigarette products,” engineered into every component There’s potential for a wider health crisis if the industry fails to www.fda.gov, posted August 30, 2019; accessed Environments act. And, this is precisely no level of lead is acceptable. October 6, 2019. we provide

[6] Center for Disease Control, “Outbreak of Lung Injury C1D1 / C1D2 Everyone—cannabis insiders, consumers, regulators, CO Associated with E-Cigarette Use, or Vaping,” www.cdc. 2 parents—needs to unite behind this simple mission: gov, posted October 3, 2019, accessed October 6, 2019. Grind Room creating a lead-free industry. We’ve started a petition at Distillation [7] Schaneman, B. “Federal crackdown on e-cigarette leadfreevapecarts.com to help drive the industry forward. Testing vaping could have broader ramifications for marijuana Packaging industry,” Marijuana Business Daily, posted September Bio Mass Storage A lead-free industry is possible. Now’s the time to get the Available Keyless Entry entire industry behind this singular cause. It’s good business. 11, 2019, accessed on October 6, 2019. Pollination Sizes Dry & Curing 8x10 And, more importantly, it’s the right thing to do for our Digital Climate [8] “NEW REPORT: Cannabis Oil the Hottest Product Outdoor Rated 8x20 8x40 Controls consumers. Category Now Catching Up to Flower”, BDS Analytics, Headhouse 12x20 Designed for easy posted September 18, 2018, accessed on October 6, Spent Storage 12x40 16x20 loading of your For more information on the study and lead-free movement go 2019. Grow Rooms 16x40 ExtractionSystem to leadfreevapecarts.com. BUILD IN 15 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN PLACE & PODS C1D1 ENVIRONMENTS DESIGNED • • FOR SAFETY Extraction Labs Working Labs Grow Pods ENGINEERED FOR C1D1 & C1D2 Controlled Environments SUCCESS PRICED RIGHT PodTronix Extraction Pods are full featured extraction lab environments in a high-cube shipping container with safety engineered into every component

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Keeping up with the advances in of the solvent (colder, warmer, provided the resources to explore the technology in our world today is difficult. higher pressure, lower pressure, pH, boundaries and applied them to cannabis. Phones, automobiles, animation, conductivity, etc.) changed the solubility computer software, and hardware are of the solvent and therefore changed the The biggest disappointment for 2019 is all improving at a fast rate. Critical compounds that were extracted under that it has not scientifically progressed components for the marketing and those conditions. much past 2013. During a couple of sales departments are the chemists and rainy days, at the racetrack, in a small chemical engineers. Changes in the pre-treatment of the room in early November of 2013, all the material impacted the availability of the current technology was present. There are Comparing this reality with that of compounds of interest and maximize more manufacturers of the instruments, extraction processes reveals few changes the first stages of extraction – which but basically, it’s the same identical in extraction technology for cannabis in are faster because the slowest part technology to what those 300 people 2019. There were extensions in some of extraction is the actual extraction, viewed on those two days. I do think product lines from existing companies versus solubilizing and sweeping it that it’s exciting and satisfying that the and an increase in the number of away toward the collection vessels. thought leaders there still hold those roles companies, but that is different from real today. That demonstrates they were on technological advances. None of these To be clear, current technologies in the right path then, and are still advocates changes were unexpected. Most were the cannabis industry are common for science six years later. announced by the companies well in throughout the world for natural products. advance of their arrival into the market. It’s a simple literature search for finding I believe that until the key degree- technology or application of a technology granting institutions in the United States Some “changes” that occurred in 2019: that migrates into cannabis extraction are allowed to do the primary research processes to subsequently have investors needed to progress the chemical Batch size (the size of the vessel or seeking “game-changing” or “disruptive principles and engineering, cannabis number of the vessels) changed the technology” labels for hedging their bets. industry technological advances will amount that each batch can do before continue to be stuck in quicksand – the having to load again. “Who controls the past controls the more it struggles, the deeper it sinks into future. Who controls the present controls mediocracy. Faster mass transfer (flow rate of a the past.” George Orwell, 1984. solvent per unit time) provided a faster Until there is healthy competition from cycle time The natural products industry would the researchers to reach fact-based benefit from the advancement in instrument design, there will still be some Changes in the physical properties extraction science if the innovators were pivot points, but not the new, disruptive, EXTRACTION MAGAZINE 19

quantized jump in technology and The changes from one type of extraction processes that have not been process. to another is not a change in technology. common in natural product extraction It is common sense that the kind of for decades. It is a change in the Side panel: Spoiler Alert material, and what is best for that application rather than technological segment of the business, will influence progress. Cannabis is a plant. There are many the type of extraction. plants that have potentially beneficial The next real changes will involve compounds for human well being and There were few, if any, technology companies changing their perspective health. advancements in cannabis extraction versus changing technology.

Hemp is a type of cannabis plant. The next disruptive leaps will be in Classification of type and amount of process control, optimization, and compounds present as a percentage automation. of the whole is merely an arbitrary way of describing a chemovar based on what compounds it produces.

20 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE

Cannabis Put CO2 Extraction on the Map Meet Our Advisors: Andy Joseph, Apeks Supercritical By Olivia Montiano

Carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction is everywhere, as equipment at least compared to where CO2 extraction equipment was in can be found both in the largest coffee decaffeination facilities previous years. and the smallest university laboratories, and products made using CO2 extraction can result in a large value-to-volume ratio. “It’s now faster, cheaper, more efficient,” Andy said. “Cannabis is a platform that allowed it to become mainstream tech. It However, issues surrounding cleanliness and the presence of gave us a place to shine.” contaminants in products is universal among many extraction methods. To ameliorate this comes one of Extraction The company’s mission is to bring CO2 extraction to the Magazine’s very own advisors and industry leaders, Andy masses. “Since 2001, Apeks Supercritical has been designing, Joseph. refining, and manufacturing botanical oil extraction systems

utilizing subcritical and supercritical CO2—a cleaner, safer, Andy Joseph, President and CEO of Apeks Supercritical, is an purer, and faster way to extract plant oils.” [3] extraction machinery manufacturer. He started fabricating CO2 extraction machinery almost 10 years ago to address the need Evolution of Apeks Supercritical for a clean cannabis extraction process. “Those were some of “Initially, back in [the early] 2000s, Apeks Supercritical was my very early conversations,” Andy said, “Doctors were saying actually called Apeks Fabrications,” Andy said. The company that they had no access to safe extraction for their patients. started out designing and manufacturing extraction systems They were going to have to extract themselves.” for Eden Labs. Apeks Supercritical had a wide industry portfolio outside of cannabis when they began working with

CO2 extraction increased in popularity because it was seen Eden Labs, but in 2008-2009, the cannabis industry had as safer, driven by the needs of doctors for trustworthy grown in great proportions and captured Andy’s attention, cannabis-based products. Other concerns to address were the so the company began to exclusively work on cannabis. “We prevalence of heavy metals in products. Alternatively, butane shifted from selling through Eden Labs to selling directly as extraction has been tied to tragic incidences of laboratory Apeks Supercritical,” Andy said. “Since 2012, we’ve built and explosions involving injuries and lives lost [1], as well as delivered 600 extraction systems.” numerous house explosions associated with do-it-yourself butane extractions. [2] Quality control tactics “My recommendation is to approach quality sooner,” Andy “The system came about with a need for cleaner extraction said. To ensure that the company is doing everything to methods,” Andy said. CO2 extraction gained traction with improve the quality of their extraction technology, Apeks extraction facilities over recent years and has grown in Supercritical has a full-time Quality Control Manager. “His job is popularity, likely because of cannabis. to further develop and improve processes with common quality control measures,” Andy emphasized. It isn’t easy, however, Apeks Supercritical, through its many forms, has developed to guarantee upmost quality. Thus, according to Andy, the job cost-effective machinery with new and improved efficiency, description of his Quality Control Manager includes:

22 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE

Day-to-day metrics and productions Becoming an Advisor to Extraction Magazine In-line quality measurables Editor-in-Chief, Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D., invited Andy to become Measure frames, pieces of equipment, and pressure levels an advisor of the publication last year. “It’s a great opportunity Manufacturing efficiency improvements to be able to give back to the extraction community,” Andy said. “My expertise is specific to equipment manufacturing. “It’s an impressive milestone for us,” Andy said, “But it’s not It’s a pretty niche area.” Andy’s value as an advisor for the usually the first resource.” magazine is to help make sure content is accurate, innovative, and relevant. The benefit of being an advisor, Andy said, is The future of Apeks Supercritical that he has been able to watch Extraction Magazine grow. Forward momentum never stops. “My goal for Apeks He said that other platforms for such learning, “…Just don’t Supercritical is to continue to focus on improving and enhancing exist.” equipment further into cannabis, and expand flavoring, food, and extraction technology,” Andy explained, adding that he aims to ensure the longevity of the company through partnerships that will allow the Apeks Supercritical platform to expand. “Ethanol, References hydrocarbons, and secondary processing technologies are [1] Schneberk, T. et al. “Prehospital Ramifications currently being utilized,” Andy said, and the company will evolve of Butane Hash Oil Synthesis and Use”, Journal of with the industry to provide solutions for their customers. Emergency Medical Services, September 4, 2015, accessed August 9, 2019. With the philosophy of providing inexpensive, quality machinery to the public, it’s only natural that the company [2] “Honey Oil Lab Explosions Becoming Dangerous will continue to evolve and explore new extraction technology Problem” CBS Sacramento. February 7, 2019. https:// and refine the older methods. Cannabis extraction is an sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/02/07/honey-oil-lab- ever-changing landscape. After all, glaring issues with safety, explosions/ product contamination, extraction efficiency and waste [3] “About Apeks” Apeks Supercritical Website, still plague the industry. In the meantime, however, expert accessed August 9, 2019. https://www. manufacturer and valuable advisor, Andy Joseph, is hard at apekssupercritical.com/about/ work providing quality CO2 machinery. WHEN YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT SCALING UP

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The popularity of cannabis beverages is taking the industry The small droplet size of a nanoemulsion formula provides by storm. With big alcohol companies announcing their greater advantages and wider benefits when compared to intentions to create drinkable products and brands like conventional colloidal systems, including long-term stability, Molson Coors estimating that drinks could make up to 20 or high water compatibility/solubility, high optical clarity, and 30% of cannabis sales [1], the industry is set to experience increased bioavailability. rapid growth. Are they safe? And the industry is ready for the demand. The recent Cannabis Nanoemulsions are considered to be safer than nanoparticles. Drinks Expo held in San Francisco was the first event of Nanoparticles have a solid, indigestible core (e.g. silicon or its kind to give the worldwide beverage industry, beverage titanium dioxide). These particles may accumulate within producers, manufacturers, brand owners, distilleries and human organs and take a long time to find their way out brewers in North America the chance to come together and of the body. The accumulation of nanoparticles within the look at ways to address legalized cannabis. human body has been linked with diseases such as cancer. [3] Nanoparticles are being used in a wide range of products [4], Fast acting, stable and offering a new experience for but at this nanoscale, their properties are unpredictable. consumers, nanoemulsions are attracting considerable attention in the cannabis beverage sector. The cannabis Unlike nanoparticles, nanoemulsions have a liquid core with beverage market is expected to be worth $1.4 billion by 2023 a layer of emulsifiers sitting on the edge between water and [2], with nanoemulsion formulas leading the way to creating oil. As long as the liquid core and the emulsifiers are edible customized, safe and exciting products for customers to enjoy. and digestible, the nanoemulsion can be eventually absorbed and safely metabolized by the human body. The safety of the What is a nanoemulsion? ingredients determines the safety of nanoemulsions. Emulsions are a colloid system in which one substance of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended This is why it should be the standard for every company to throughout another substance. Typically, colloids have ensure all ingredients used in the making of nanoemulsions particles ranging between 1 and 1000 nm, yet are still able to are Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS) by the FDA and that all remain evenly distributed throughout the solution. Milk, for materials have Certificates of Analysis (CoA) that pass a high example is a colloid system with fats in water. degree of scrutiny when it comes to heavy metals, microbials, residual solvents, and pesticides. Nanoemulsions, when properly crafted, are particularly attractive for cannabis product manufacturers due to their What are the benefits of nanoemulsions? low turbidity, high bioavailability, stability and reliability. Nanoemulsions are completely customizable, making them Nanoemulsions offer a droplet of a regular emulsion smaller particularly attractive for producers of cannabis products. than 100-200 nm. One size does not fit all, and manufacturers work closely EXTRACTION MAGAZINE 25

with product manufacturers to understand the application of nanoemulsions can be used and applied in many different the product, the ingredients, and the desired experience of formulations. Nanoemulsions can be effectively used in both dry the product to provide a unique and high-performing, water- and liquid formulas. Nanoemulsions can bind with a substrate compatible solution. and made into a dry powder using a spray drying method. If the substrate is water soluble, the powder will be water soluble. Nanoemulsions can provide a fast onset for users of cannabis products, offering more effective bioavailabilities than As the industry expands in size and consumer interest, conventional cannabis oils. Another strength of nanoemulsions manufacturers will look to spend more on research and the is the formula’s potential to be optically transparent. When development of nanoemulsion formulas, seeking to increase droplet size is smaller than the visible light wavelengths of their advantage over competitors and enlarge the product 400-700 nm, nanoemulsion of 100 nm droplets will enable range over conventional emulsions to scope out exciting new light to curve past it, thus making the drink transparent. This products in the food, beverage and medicinal sectors. makes the formula suitable for incorporating into products that need to be optically clear, such as fortified soft drinks and water, or other mixtures like soups and sauces. References Additionally, the stability of the droplets makes the formulation idea for gel-like products such as dips, desserts and sauces [1] Lewis, A. “Drink Up Stones: Big Alcohol is pouring where a thickening of the solution or forming of a gel network billions into the drinkable marijuana market. But is that is required. This also makes it possible to use nanoemulsions how anybody wants to get high?”, The Verge, 2019, in a viscous formula to complement conventional emulsions Accessed August 12, 2019. of much higher fat content, opening further possibilities for a [2] Kovasevich, N. “Drink Up: The Next Frontier in growing market with consumers hungry to try revolutionary Cannabis Is Beverages”, Forbes, April 15, 2019, products and formulations. Accessed August 12, 2019.

The production of nanoemulsions is currently performed in a [3] Donaldson, K. and Poland, C. “Inhaled nanoparticles high-energy system. Well-established processes and large- and lung cancer – what we can learn from conventional scale production methods are used to prepare nanoemulsions particle toxicology,” Swiss Med Wkly., 2012, Volume from a wide variety of different starting materials. This 142: w13547. [impact factor = 1.821; cited by 60] versatility ensures that nanoemulsions can be used with an [4] Europa, Nanotechnologies,https://ec.europa.eu/ assortment of different oil and emulsifier types. health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/en/ nanotechnologies/l-3/5-nanoparticles-consumer- The beauty of nanoemulsions is their adaptability and products.htm endless application possibilities. From topicals to edibles, 26 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE Beyond Isolate: The Future of Hemp Ingredients By Emmett McGregor, CEO of SciPhy Systems

Shifting markets are leading end product manufacturers in it great. Initially, the quality of any extract starts with the the industrial hemp space to be more discerning in their feedstock. Extracting from botanicals that are high in the target purchasing practices. Isolate, long the king of the ingredients compounds and low in extraneous adulterants is the best way market due to relative standardization and ease of use in to assure a crude extract is high quality. Beyond that here are formulation, is now facing more regulatory uncertainty as the some key factors: US Food and Drug Administration makes vague but threatening statements. Just as in the broader dietary ingredient markets, Genetic Stock pressure is mounting for standardization and product In the industrial hemp space, low delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol differentiation for hemp extracted ingredients. (THC) concentrations are key to producing high value crude, however cultivars high in terpenes and cannabidiol (CBD) What ingredients will tomorrow’s market favor? Will crude be are better for producing a potent broad-spectrum extract. A king? Is THC-free the only way to be? new wave of breeders using advanced genetic and chemical markers and big data analysis are rapidly changing the face of When is Crude not Crude? the hemp industry. Tomorrow’s market will feature a new wave Already favored by some major players seeking to emphasize of oils high in cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), the medicinal or nutritional attributes of hemp extract as an and a host of other compounds that are high value and just ingredient, “crude” is the true “full spectrum” extract. Viewed waiting to build a new boom of specialty products. At the same as truer to the plant and more effective by purist companies, time, as these new innovations in agronomy gain traction, the crude extract is the natural choice for manufacturers seeking hemp ingredients market will become more complex as buyers to leverage the science and the marketing momentum of the face a choice of not only how refined an ingredient they are medical cannabis market. The “entourage effect” popularized looking for, but also what combination of compounds they are by Dr. Ethan Russo is often evoked by these companies, and seeking and in what proportion. for good reason; hemp’s potential chemical synergies are equally compelling and shrouded in mystery. Harvest While specialty combines are making their mark on the In a market where every ingredient starts with crude extract and market, fully equipped with self-driving tractors, the art of the results vary from thick waxy pastes to clear golden oil, the a fine cure has long marked the difference between cheap, business-to-business market faces many challenges in making undesirable cannabis and connoisseur grade botanicals. crude extract a go-to option for product manufacturers. For However, in big industry, speed is king. Everything from giant most consumers, the use of crude hemp extract in products rotary driers the size of cement mixers to enormous kilns comes with two big downsides: flavor and aroma. Often previously reserved for drying wooden planks have found astringent and ever pungent, most crude hemp extracts have their way into what may be the most rapidly growing service more in common with pine tar than the boutique golden oils segment of the hemp business. Fast drying enormous loads favored by THC aficionados. But it doesn’t have to be that way of hemp is viewed as a panacea for farmers with thousands as a new wave of Sweet Crude is on its way to the market. of acres of fields planted and nowhere to hang the crop. Yet, even as these new technologies come to bare, full spectrum If crude is becoming a more standard ingredient in 2020, “Sweet Crude” producers get higher value by extracting producers and consumers need to know what it takes to make plants that have dried and cured more slowly using methods

28 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE

long established in the smokable cannabis and hashish There is strong potential to utilize these methods to take room manufacturing realm. temperature solvent extracts and refine them to sweet crude, but at a price, both monetary and through losses of CBD and Extraction: Some Like It Cold other desired molecules. It seems like the majority of companies are using ethanol to extract their hemp, yet a room temperature soak in a giant Conclusion: Beyond Isolate kettle often yields a black, tarry crude that is anything but Regardless of which methods are being employed, the forecast appetizing. One common approach to improve the quality is clear: consumers and producers alike are witnessing a of crude extract is to use low temperature solvent. As with rapid evolution of the market with a bent towards efficiency, winterization, the cost of chillers or cryogenic gas for these standardization, specialization, and scale, and part of that shift operations is substantial. is moving to using new products. Crystallized, isolated CBD, briefly the hottest commodity in the space, can no longer be Certain solvents, butane and propane most common among viewed as the be all end all of the hemp ingredients market them, can auto-refrigerate, chilling by evaporation of a portion space. New and exciting trends are always emerging, from of the solvent, often under vacuum. This principal, along with new forms of chromatography to the looming prospect of their good selectivity for cannabinoids, points to an emerging biosynthetic cannabinoid manufacturing, which will change renaissance in the application of these solvents to extraction at the face of the purified cannabinoid market. Simultaneously scale as the long-term costs of alcohol extraction become ever though, we believe that new methods used to create and refine more apparent. Large scale use of these solvents is common crude and broad-spectrum extracts are going to redefine the throughout many industries. With support from established landscape of hemp-derived ingredients in 2020. engineering firms, implementation of safe and efficient manufacturing systems under existing national fire code are sure to become accepted across the country. Extraction with References supercritical carbon dioxide doesn’t have holding limits and is recyclable. [1] General Electric, “Cross Flow Filtration Method Handbook,” cdn.gelifesciences.com Rumors of giant propane extractors with holding tanks the size [2] Thomas, R. and Ridlehuber, J., “Miscella Refining,” of silos are common, while it is certain that large, established Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 1968, hexane extraction plants are retooling their operations Volume 45(5): A254-A295. [journal impact factor = 1.72; to extract and refine hemp with a brute force approach cited by N/A] more common to bulk corn oil and wheat germ than finer ingredients. It is very clear that the extraction trends of today [3] Wilcox, A. “Celebrate 710 with the Aficionado Guide are facing enormous changes in the market of tomorrow. to Cannabis Concentrates,” Cannabis Aficionado, posted July 10, 2019; accessed on October 17, 2019. Filtration and Dewaxing Dense waxes and dark color are the most commonly removed portion of crude. New approaches such as the use of membrane-based filtration at pressures above 600 psi [1], and multi-solvent based miscella refining developed by organic chemists [2] are set to gain market share as they do not require chillers the size of trucks. Simultaneously, great excitement and enthusiasm has been gaining in the cannabis space for newly applied approaches to filtration and adsorption. So called Color Remediation Cartridge (CRC) technology has been developed on an open-source basis to produce near colorless extracts for the recreational and medical markets. [3] These same approaches, applying adsorption media such as silica and clays to in-solvent processing and filtration of the oil, are certain to become common and even further refined in the industrial hemp space. CRAWL, WALK, RUN TO ONE TON

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EXTRACTION | SEPARATION | DEWAXING | FACILITY DESIGN | FORMULATIONS Squert Inc. EZ LOADER

EZ LOADER is a novel packaging solution that makes Height: 2.25 inches handling plant extracts easy and mess-free. Length: 0.75 inches True price: $1.35 to $1.75 per cartridge Width: 0.5 inches Product selection: Disposable extract cartridges Dosage range: 1+ grams per cartridge The tube is high-heat- resistant quartz glass, $875.00 from Squert Inc. suited for direct filling. Etchings indicate, The Good roughly, 1/8 gram; Biodegradable bamboo • Easy to use • Leak-tight • Custom volumes vary by extract colors density. The Bad New company • Fairly opaque • 4-week delivery for custom The end cap and plunger seal are non-stick, food-grade orders silicone. These pieces fasten the glass tube and bamboo The Bottom Line plunger. The non-stick aspect is great for sticky extracts. Extractors eager to please their customers with mess-free, Although the company points out that silicone “degrades convenient dispensers can check out the EZ LOADER. much better than plastic,” silicone is not biodegradable. Nonetheless, silicone is widely considered safer than plastic Who they are: EZ LOADER is brought to us by Squert, (it does not leech) and can be recycled. Inc. The designers experienced a lightbulb moment when “hunting for the best way to fill the VDAB chamber.” The The end-caps can be customized with colors. Standard VDAB is a device for vaporizing solid extraction products. “stock” options come in deep green and dusty brown. Solid plant extracts are potent and free from cutting agents. Starting at 2,000 units, the producer may choose from the But handling them can be sticky, wasteful, and frustrating. entire Pantone Matching System (PMS), which includes The EZ LOADER team was determined to fix this. 1,867 options. We’re talking blue iris and tangerine tango.

They “set to work to create the most effective design using Last but certainly not least: the bamboo plunger stick. Don’t the best materials with the least impact on the planet.” let its humble beginnings fool you… Bamboo is versatile, The result is the EZ LOADER. It proposes to improve the biodegradable, and renewable. The wide end of the stick customer’s experience while not breaking the bank. High- pushes the seal in the glass forward to eject the extract. The end syringe cartridges can run upwards of $25 per unit. EZ consumer uses the fine end of the stick as a makeshift tool. LOADER is an innovative, less costly alternative. The vision is to “Give your customers the love they’ve earned with The minimum EZ LOADER order is 500 the experience they’ve been dreaming of for more than a units; custom orders require 2,000 units. decade.” The site warns that custom orders can take four weeks to fill. Producers must The site doesn’t offer much about Squert or the team contact Squert for a quote and invoicing behind EZ LOADER. The company seems fairly new. The on orders of over 10,000 units. product is patent-pending, and access to manufacturing/ production details is not available. The company advertises “ready to fill with most any filling machine,” but recommends Why they’re unique: Solid plant extracts offer a vapor two machines in particular: the Transpring experience free of cutting agents. But they can be messy Filling Machine and the CSF-1000M Filling and hard to store. EZ LOADER helps customers handle System. these extracts. This represents effective packaging with a low-cost, plastic-free twist. Bonus: EZ LOADER cartridges come in one of three packaging boxes to suit your company’s What products they have: The EZ LOADER. Let’s style. Planning on ordering 4,000 units or more? cover the basic specs: You can customize colors by groups of 2,000.

32 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE Cannabis-based Nanoemulsions: Promise and Pitfalls By Monica Vialpando, Ph.D, Michael Tagen, Ph.D. and Linda Klumpers, Ph.D.

Cannabinoids can be taken orally in a variety of forms such Formulation Strategies to Improve Oral Absorption as capsules, tablets, oils, beverages, etc. However, these The problem of low water solubility is well known in the dosage forms often have suboptimal performance because pharmaceutical industry. Many marketed drug products are the absorption of orally administered cannabinoids is typically based on enabling technologies that enhance solubility and/ slow and extremely variable. Some people may feel the effects or dissolution rate, which is the rate by which compounds rapidly, while others may need hours before feeling anything. are released from solution. Examples of these include There are primarily two reasons for this variation: low aqueous nanosuspensions, salts, cocrystals, amorphous systems, solubility and extensive metabolism. cyclodextrins, cosolvents and lipid-based formulations. [2] Generally, the physicochemical properties of the compound Cannabinoids are lipophilic (‘fat-loving’) molecules, making and the target product profile drive technology selection. them much more soluble in oils than in water. Drugs can only Given the molecular complexity of cannabis extracts and be absorbed when they are dissolved in the gastric fluid of the the variability in physical and chemical properties that can intestines. The low water solubility of cannabinoids limits how arise from the extraction method, this becomes a critical much can be dissolved at one time and therefore how quickly consideration when selecting a technology and developing a cannabinoids can be absorbed. The second reason for poor oral formulation and process during early product development. absorption is extensive metabolism in both the intestine and liver where there are enzymes that breakdown, or metabolize, Nanoemulsions cannabinoids. The entire blood flow from the intestine goes Of the available technologies, lipid-based formulations, such as directly to the liver, giving it a chance to metabolize a large emulsions, have been the most widely adopted for formulation fraction of cannabinoids before they reach the rest of the body. of cannabinoids. Emulsions for formulation of cannabinoids This process is called first-pass metabolism. are typically formed with triglycerides. These molecules have a lipophilic side and a hydrophilic (‘water-loving’) side The amount and type of food recently eaten also affects the (amphiphilic). In an aqueous solution, triglycerides can form pathway and extent to which cannabinoids are absorbed. spheres, with hydrophilic sides facing outward toward the Eating a meal, especially one with sufficient fat, opens up a water and lipophilic sides facing inward. Collectively, these new absorption pathway for cannabinoids. Highly lipophilic oily droplets in an aqueous solution constitute an oil-in-water compounds can be absorbed through a special pathway emulsion. Cannabinoids can be carried (dissolved) within the that goes via the lymphatic system instead of the blood. [1] center of each emulsion droplet. To impart greater stability, Cannabinoids can also be formulated for absorption through homogenization or ultrasonication is typically used to reduce the this pathway, which avoids first-pass metabolism and enables size of emulsion droplets to form a nanoemulsion. The diameter higher bioavailability. of the emulsion droplets reaches approximately 20 to 500 nm,

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although usually this diameter ranges from 100 to 500 nm. [3-4] time to peak concentration, the THC and CBD nanoparticle Emulsion droplet size is oftentimes a critical product formulation had improved bioavailability. attribute. Size can be highly dependent on the composition of the lipid formulation and the method used to form the Nanoemulsions can enhance bioavailability by reducing emulsion. Efficient self-emulsification (e.g., to form micro- or first-pass metabolism through stimulation of uptake via the nanoemulsions) is generally only obtained when relatively high lymphatic circulation. Because the intestinal lymph does not (50% and higher) concentrations of non-lipid excipients such pass through the liver before entering the general circulation, it as surfactants and hydrophilic cosolvents are included in the provides a route for drug transport that avoids hepatic first- formulation. One clinical study assessed the absorption of an pass metabolism. For highly lipophilic compounds such as antibiotic that was formulated using nanoemulsions of different cannabinoids, judicious choice of formulation excipients can droplet sizes. [5] As the median droplet size decreased from enhance the proportion of the dose that is transported to the 400 to 25 nm, the bioavailability of the antibiotic markedly blood circulatory system by the lymph. In particular, the use of increased; the bioavailability of the antibiotic formulated using long-chain lipids favor uptake via the lymphatic route. [7] the smallest emulsion droplet size was over six-fold greater than that using the largest droplet size. Although enhanced solubilization and reduced first-pass metabolism are clearly attractive features, nanoemulsion-based Another clinical study examined the absorption of delta-9 formulations also have a number of well-documented pitfalls. tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) contained in pronano-lipospheres (PNL) of approximately 20 nm in Difficulty Predicting In Vivo Performance size. The PNL delivery system comprised a medium-chain Unlike other solubility-enhancing strategies, lipid-based triglyceride (MCT), surfactants, a co-solvent, and the unique delivery systems require digestion for effective drug release addition of the natural absorption enhancer piperine. [6] and absorption. After administration, dilution and digestion This nanoparticle formulation had more rapid and consistent effects lead to a reduction in the solubilizing capacity of the absorption of both cannabinoids relative to Sativex®, a THC lipid formulation. Entrance of lipidic excipients in the small + CBD spray that is registered for treatment of pain and intestine activates the physiological processes that normally spasticity in Canada and many European countries. act to digest dietary lipids. This digestion effect and the subsequent absorption of lipid digestion products from the For example, the median time to maximum THC concentration gastrointestinal tract reduces the solubilizing capacity of the in the blood with the nanoparticle formulation was 1 hour, formulation. As a result, the drug that was initially dissolved in with a narrow range of 1 to 1.5 hours. Sativex had a time to the lipid may precipitate, which then completely negates the maximum blood concentration of 2 hours, with a relatively bioavailability-enhancing potential of the formulation. [8] wide range of 1 to 4 hours. Beyond the differences in the The effect of digestion on lipid formulation performance is

36 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE

challenging to assess, and requires sophisticated techniques are usually considered to be inert, many of these contain that involve the use of biorelevant media (e.g., simulated impurities such as peroxides, aldehydes, or formic acid. gastric fluid) and enzymes, titration of liberated fatty acids, These impurities may trigger degradation pathways that are and careful quantification of the drug recovered in the multiple not seen when the same compound is formulated as a solid. phases that form after digestion (an undigested oil phase, an [12-13] Although impurity profiling is a crucial aspect of aqueous phase and a precipitated pellet phase) in vitro (i.e., assuring product safety, it’s analytically challenging. Besides outside of a body, such as in cell lines or tissue). Failure to the inherent variability of cannabis extracts, the composition take into account the effect of digestion during in vitro testing of lipid-based formulations adds further complexity. Validated is therefore likely to lead to erroneous prediction of in vivo formulation-specific impurity methods are a regulatory (inside the body) exposure. [7-9] expectation in the pharmaceutical industry; the cannabis industry, however, does not currently require this for product As mentioned previously, emulsion droplet size influences release. drug absorption, with smaller droplet sizes (e.g., a nanoemulsion) tending to improve absorption. However, Chemical instability studies on multiple pharmaceuticals suggest that product In the cannabis industry, water-compatible or ‘water-soluble’ performance is not always related to the initial particle size of cannabinoid solutions are often sold as an intermediate the dispersed formulation. [7-10] The difficulty in predicting with the intention to be later incorporated into a variety in vivo performance is further compounded by differences of products. While this platform approach can simplify in susceptibility to digestion effects between lipids. For production and provide flexibility, care must be taken to ensure instance, medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) lose solvent that the intermediate is compatible with the process and capacity much more extensively on digestion than long- formulation used to develop each product. Compared to other chain triglycerides (LCTs) and formulations comprising MCTs technologies, nanoemulsions are especially sensitive generally show significantly lower in vivo performance than equivalent formulations consisting of LCTs. Nevertheless, oils to differences in factors such as temperature and pH. Thus, rich in MCTs such as coconut or palm oil are popular vehicles further processing and exposure of a nanoemulsion to a in the cannabis product space as they generally exhibit higher different milieu can reduce its stability and markedly shorten solvent capacity for cannabinoids than LCTs. However, this shelf life. [14] Moreover, excipients used in a base formulation solubility benefit should be carefully balanced against the risk (e.g., a cream) can reduce the solubilization capacity of the of reduced in vivo performance due to loss of solvent capacity nanoemulsion, resulting in drug precipitation. Nanoemulsions [11]. are also susceptible to spontaneous particle growth arising from a process called Ostwald Ripening. This phenomenon Chemical impurities arises from the non-zero solubility of one or more lipid While the excipients used to construct lipid formulations components in the aqueous phase. Larger droplets grow at the expense of smaller, more soluble droplets, leading to a shift in the size distribution.

Conclusions Cannabinoids exhibit low aqueous solubility and extensive metabolism which result in low and variable oral absorption. Of the pharmaceutical formulation technologies used to increase aqueous solubility, nanoemulsions are currently the most widely used approach in the cannabis industry. They can enhance absorption rate, improve bioavailability, and decrease variability in absorption, making them a promising application for cannabis products. However, compared to other technologies, predicting in vivo performance from in vitro data is more challenging.

This is especially critical in cannabis-based products where in vivo performance is not typically evaluated in humans, and whereby translation of results from animal studies to humans is not straightforward. Careful attention should be paid to physical and chemical stability of emulsion-based formulations, especially when trying to apply them as a ‘platform’ approach to formulate a diversity of cannabinoids and extract types into various product types. Further research and development is needed to improve our understanding of the opportunities of cannabinoid nanoemulsion formulations, including their applications in patient populations.

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References [1] Trevaskis N. et al. “Lipid-based delivery systems and formulation,” Pharm Res, 2004, 21, p. 1405-1412. [impact intestinal lymphatic drug transport: A mechanistic update,” factor = 3.896; cited by 187] Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2008, 60, p. 702–716. [8] Williams H. et al. “Lipid-Based Formulations and Drug [impact factor = 15.519; cited by 217] Supersaturation: Harnessing the Unique Benefits of the Lipid [2] Williams H. et al. “Strategies to Address Low Drug Digestion/Absorption Pathway,” Pharm Res, 2013, 30, p. Solubility in Discovery and Development,” Pharmacol Rev., 2976–2992. [impact factor = 3.896; cited by 53] 2013, 65, p. 315-499. [impact factor = 17.099; cited by 431] [9] Porter C. et al. “Lipids and lipid-based formulations: [3] Benardi D. et al. “Formation and stability of oil-in-water optimizing the oral delivery of lipophilic drugs,” Nature Rev, nanoemulsions containing rice bran oil: in vitro and in vivo 2007, 6, p. 231-248. [impact factor = 74.449; cited by 978] assessments,” J Nanotech, 2011, 9, p. 2-9. [impact factor = [10] Sek L. et al. “Examination of the impact of a range of 3.399; cited by 12] pluronic surfactants on the in-vitro solubilisation behaviour [4] S.A. Chime, F.C. Kenechukwu and A.A. Attama and oral bioavailability of lipidic formulations of atovaquone,” (2014). Nanoemulsions — Advances in Formulation, J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 2006, 58, p. 809–820. [impact factor Characterization and Applications in Drug Delivery, = 2.39; cited by 65] Application of Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Ali Demir [11] Karthik P. et al. “Challenges associated in stability of Sezer, IntechOpen. [cited by 42] food-grade nanoemulsions,” Crit Rev Food Sci and Nutr., [5] Bekerman T et al. “Cyclosporin nanoparticulate 2017, 57, p. 1435-1450. [impact factor = 6.704; cited by 20] lipospheres for oral administration,” J Pharm Sc, 2003, 94, [12] Nuned de Godoi S. et al. “Evaluation of Stability and p. 1264-1270. [impact factor = 3.197; cited by 63] In Vitro Security of Nanoemulsions Containing Eucalyptus [6] Cherniakov I. et al. “Piperine-pro-nanolipospheres as a globulus Oil,” Bio Med Res Int., 2017, p. 1-10. [impact factor novel oral delivery system of cannabinoids: Pharmacokinetic = 2.197; cited by 7] evaluation in healthy volunteers in comparison to buccal [13] Rowe, R. Handbook of Pharmaceutical Excipients, spray administration,” J Control Release, 2017, 266, p. 1-7. Pharmaceutical Press, Chicago, 2009. [cited by 625] [impact factor = 7.901; cited by 10] [14] Hategekimana J. and Zhong F. “Degradation of [7] Porter, C. et al. “Susceptibility to lipase-mediated Vitamin E in Nanoemulsions during Storage as Affected by digestion reduces the oral bioavailability of danazol after Temperature, Light and Darkness,” Int J Food Eng., 2015, 11, administration as a medium-chain lipid-based microemulsion p. 1-8. [impact factor = 0.923; cited by 6] High precision temperature control

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With all of the different types of extraction used in this wild could provide a huge opportunity for downstream extraction industry, there are some things to be said about carbon dioxide facilities given that CBD (cannabidiol) is postulated to go into

(CO2). And there are few people who can say those things from a everything from foot scrubs to burgers, toothpicks to toothpaste. more qualified vantage point than Dr. Jerry King. So many people need so many bits of information, and they need it spoken to them in a human language.

Jerry is a legend within the CO2 extraction community, having been a part of it for over 50 years. He’s spoken at numerous We might know things, but we still have much to learn. conferences and has provided lectures in universities across the “What I see in so much of the cannabis industry is a gross world. And he’s a welcomed advisor for Extraction Magazine. simplification of the processing and extraction side, and post- extraction cleanups,” Jerry said. In a world where everyone and Jerry joined the EM advisory board, lending his expertise their mothers are diving into the cannabis industry, there’s a regarding the extraction of many different plants to cannabis/ knowledge gap. Even in more technical areas like extraction, hemp extraction. “I felt like I had a lot to contribute to it,” Jerry manufacturers don’t know what equipment is best. There’s said, “A bit of a higher plane I saw was being extolled out there.” a lot of technology available, each with plusses and minuses that need to be weighed before diving in to which gear has the Jerry’s portfolio translates to his being an excellent resource smallest startup costs. not only for EM and cannabis extractors, but for any type of botanical extraction. He has a mixed background—chemistry and industry—plus a repertoire that includes food processing, packaging, polymers, engineering, and canna-tech platforms. As science geeks, we searched for Jerry’s stats, the back of his baseball card. A quick search on ResearchGate revealed 166 publications, many of which are freely available. His research isn’t just prolific, however; it’s also well-cited.

Thus, Jerry was eager to teach, and has welcomed the opportunity to hone his own craft at helping those outside of scientific laboratories. “It has made me more cognizant of how to explain things, particularly to non-specialists,” Jerry added.

Given the number of non-scientists looking to get involved in cannabis-based enterprises, it’s obviously paramount for any scientist to be able to convey the technology such that it’s intuitive and accessible. Traditional farmers have been seeking guidance on switching from something like growing produce to cultivating hemp. The greater globalization of farming hemp EXTRACTION MAGAZINE 41 42 EXTRACTION MAGAZINE

Not to say you and your mother shouldn’t break into cannabis— agencies. “I just wish it were more accelerated,” Jerry said but ever-evolving regulations and infrastructure creates a lack of regarding legalization. “I’m trying to do all I can.” education for new industry extractors. Jerry offered some advice to his fellow extractors. To him, the As more companies join the scene, competition will rise. Jerry notorious questions and concerns are: added: “I don’t think all of these companies are going to survive; How do I retain my terpenes? (Editor’s Note: Thank you Jerry.) there’s extraction units costing over $100,000 that are sitting How can I keep my THC level below 0.3%? in an attic, never to be used. There is not enough experience or How do I safely dilute out THC in my tincture and vape? education for new industry extractors.” How can I accurately detect pesticides and contaminants?

“What we need very badly is the infusion—particularly in our Jerry raised the flag of analytical chemistry by advocating for college system—of cannabis courses,” he continued. Although knowing your products’ chemistries, which, in turn, can help this is happening very slowly, cannabis education poses a best utilize the advantages of the common extraction methods, challenge in U.S. colleges, because, chemistry departments and or help dial in specific processes. To know this, it’s essential to laboratories don’t want to jeopardize funding or unintentionally have a strong analytical team. Buy things like chromatography sabotage the universities’ relationships with their funding equipment and use it. Be excellent, and good luck. Mention this ad to receive a one time new product giveaway. Inquire below

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Contents Cannabis Scientists, Driving the 1970 Cuda, 06 are Revving, Hungry to Peel Out

Building Trust in the Cannabis Publisher 08 Industry: A Work in Progress MACE Media Group CEO 10 You Get the Drift? Celeste Miranda Editor-in-Chief Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D. What the Fact!? 16 Authors: Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D. ASTM D37 on Cannabis: Three Kyle Boyar 20 Years of Standards Development Randy Reed Gusaanj Singh Bajaj Viva the Live Revolution: Cryo-Trimming™ Markus Roggen, Ph.D. 22 and Freeze-Drying Cannabis Flowers Darwin Millard Travis Arnovick Overly Dry Cannabis Isn’t Just a Profit Sean Knutsen 24 Daniel Isenstein Killer; It’s a Massive Quality-Control Issue Ezra Pryor Hemp Plastics Correction: In the last issue of Designer 28 T&T, we mistakingly referred to Marko Nedeljkovic ACS Laboratory in Florida as ACS Advertising: Know Before They Labs. Our sincerest apologies to Julian Azevedo 32 Do: Self-Audit Software Roger and Jonathan Brown. Josh Meadows

6 TERPENES & TESTING Cannabis Scientists, Driving the 1970 Cuda, are Revving, Hungry to Peel Out By Jason S. Lupoi, Ph.D.

The Earth is calculated to be over 4,500,000,000 years old; share this sentiment and have been meticulously cracking into legalized cannabis, in most geographies, has been a fleck the diverse chemical secrets waiting inside of the trichomes. of dust in the fabric of space-time. Each day we have in this Like expert botanical locksmiths, these scientists are taking on industry should be cherished, as we’ve been deprived of an and proving postulations like the ensemble effect. And so, the amazing plant for too much of our recent irrational history. crystal ball reveals the correct capacity of the medicine, finally, Companies who once shook with fright at the concept of being once and for all, without needing to resort to hyperbole. involved in cannabis now recognize their folly, and behold Despite our interest in glad-handing and patting backs, though, opportunities presented. Defectors from other industries see there’s considerable work to be done. The fog inside the the escalating interest in cannabis and the industry-wide needs crystal ball is murky, mired by the ooze of dishonesty. You’ll for everything, from science and safety and regulation, to hear trite phrases like “The Green Rush”, or comparisons of imagination and passionate resourcefulness. cannabis to “The Wild West”, where anything goes. Where If we were to don wizard’s or witch’s hats, and gaze into the bad guys can pillage a town of their coin, and the law the crystal ball, how might we view the 2019 cannabis may not be functional. Where a charlatan can practice their industry? With one wave of my wand, perhaps I’d see the disappearing act nightly, soliciting shifty sales today, vacating D37 subcommittee at ASTM International huddled over with your cash tomorrow. newly proposed standard methods. After all, they know that Irrespective of your tenure in this industry, and of the standardization brings validity, legitimacy, and reproducibility fact that you are in the real, live cannabis industry, you to a mushrooming industry in desperate need of shedding off can quickly become soured by the chaos. But never fear. stigmas clinging like silken, labyrinthine spiderwebs. Cannabis science is racing along the track, desperately trying As the ethereal fog dissipates, the ball becomes clearer. Ah, to catch up to sales and marketing, which had an unfair and look at that. More states brought legalized medical cannabis significant head-start. The scientists are driving a modest programs to residents hungry for alternatives to decayed 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, a powerful, diligent machine that ways of attempting to modulate homeostatic needs. And with will mark its turf in rubber and flame, but they’ve got many each state offering this plant to their communities, the distant more trips around the track to overcome the fast moves of sound of yet another coffin nail hammered into the pine box the lesser vehicle, which will no doubt see parts pried loose containing Reefer Madness mumbo-jumbo calls out. At last, at these breakneck speeds. I can hear them, revving that humanity is returning to its senses. Cuda engine in the distance, progressively louder, louder, But our seeing more vividly, perpetually, requires relentless ready to peel out, lay some tire, and reign victorious in the research and sound analytical science. Luckily, many groups final race for pinks.

8 TERPENES & TESTING Building Trust in the Cannabis Industry: A Work in Progress By Kyle Boyar, Medicinal Genomics

Trust—it takes a long time to build and can be destroyed in an instant. At present, the cannabis industry is facing numerous areas where trust and transparency is sorely lacking. After the preliminary rollout of regulations in many states, regulators became aware of some of these flaws and began to implement new policies to address them. However, things are still far from perfect, and the areas where the most improvement is needed are in lab testing and seed-to-sale tracking. The lack of standardization and transparency in the former leads many producers, manufacturers, and distributors to shop around for the results they are looking for. The deficits in the latter open up the industry to fraudulent practices and make it difficult for the consumer to know if they are purchasing what they think they are. In this piece we’ll examine each of these sectors of the industry, the processes associated, and what steps can be taken to ensure the proper measures are being implemented to achieve trustworthy answers.

Lab Testing Analytical Science Program (CASP) and ASTM’s D37 Take a sample to two different labs and you will likely get Committee on Cannabis. two different results, and more often than not, very different ones. Let’s take a trip through the workflow to understand the Next, let’s discuss the analytical method. Not all methods variables that can cause this deviation. are created equal, and some labs will sacrifice resolution for speed which can lead to inaccurate quantification. Additionally, Step one is sampling: how do I know that the samples are having a properly calibrated and capable instrument is being taken in a statistically relevant manner? In the context of paramount in order to achieve accurate test results. What’s potency, taking the nicest cola in a batch is a surefire way to the linear range over which the lab is calibrating, and how achieve elevated cannabinoid content and currently only some many points are being taken? Is it an appropriate range for states are addressing this form of cherry picking. Furthermore, the analyte of interest? Moreover, has the method been once the sample arrives to the lab, is that sample being properly validated in the matrix being tested? These are all properly homogenized? questions that auditors and regulators should be asking. Without standardized methods, all of these factors need to be The next key step in the process is sample preparation. taken into consideration when assessing the validity of a lab’s Utilizing different sample preparation methods can lead methodology. to drastically different results, as analytes can degrade or recovery can be incomplete if the appropriate techniques We’ve arrived at a result, but how did we get there? Who are not applied. At present, there are very few standardized handled the sample at what point in the process and did they methods for cannabis testing—organizations leading the follow the SOP? Were their quality control samples included charge to develop these methods include AOAC’s Cannabis in the run to demonstrate that the instrument was functioning TERPENES & TESTING 9 properly? Traceability is a key component of quality management systems, and some states have now mandated ISO 17025, which is an accreditation process that ensures a lab is doing what they say they are doing and can retrace their steps at any point to know how they arrived at a particular answer. Having a well architected quality management system and capable Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) can help labs achieve this level of traceability. This also provides for legal defensibility should a consumer fall ill, or if other disputes arise.

Seed-to-Sale Tracking Seed-to-sale tracking is an even more challenging scenario. Currently, there is a mismatch between the different states and what systems they have chosen to adopt in order to ensure a product is genuine and produced in a compliant manner. Additionally, the roll out of these systems has been far from straightforward in many jurisdictions, leaving producers, manufacturers and distributors alike scratching their heads.

Let’s consider a batch of Girl Scout Cookies—how do we know which specific plant this particular product came from out of a given batch? Additionally, how do we know that the cultivar being grown is actually Girl Scout Cookies? RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags can sort out the former and applying DNA sequencing can address the latter. An additional measure that can be implemented to ensure transparency is blockchain technology, in which all of the information is being validated by others in the chain before being integrated. But how do we know that these tags are being handled appropriately? Are the right test results being applied to the right batch? For genetic testing, who’s reviewing the methods utilized to arrive at the answer? Who’s holding people accountable? At present, very few—if any— states are doing this in a seamless fashion; therefore, it’s not too surprising that consumer confidence is at an all-time low.

Where Do We Go from Here? In a nascent and rapidly growing industry, it’s completely understandable that things will not be perfect, and the kinks will take time to iron out. However, to address these kinks, it’s of utmost importance to view all of the levels of the process from start to finish with a critical eye, to ensure there is honesty every step of the way. Regulators need to be aware of the loopholes that exist and develop practices that close them in order to avoid abuse and fraud. With a lack of standardization, auditors need to pay close attention to each parameter of the testing process to achieve accurate data. Until such measures are taken and people are held accountable, we will continue to have a lack of trust and transparency in the industry. 10 TERPENES & TESTING You Get the Drift? Chemovar Drift in Concentrates and Manufactured Cannabis Products By Randy Reed, Lehua Group USA

How many times have you tried your favorite flower in into easy-to-understand language and visuals. Companies like concentrate form and thought, that’s not what I was expecting? NaPro [3], Firefly, and Canna Stamp all have excellent products Maybe it tastes nothing like the flower, or perhaps the that are changing the way we speak about our favorite flowers. concentrate makes you sleepy when the flower energizes you? A chemovar is typically characterized by a combination of gas If you can relate, then your concentrate probably suffered chromatography for terpenes and high-performance liquid from a severe case of Chemovar Drift (CD). CD is why many chromatography for cannabinoids. These assays provide “full-spectrum” concentrate products don’t taste, smell, or a wealth of information and provide us with a baseline to provide effects akin to the input material upon inhalation. It assess various metrics such as mono-terpene proportions, doesn’t matter the process, solvent, or starting material; CD quantitation of degradation compounds like cannabinol, can happen in almost any extraction and infusion process for chemovar drift, and more. cannabis products. Antonio Pollio writes, “With this approach, it may be possible If this is the first time you’ve heard of CD don’t worry. I’ve been to move away from the current system of cannabis cultivars, presenting and speaking a lot lately and may have unknowingly with often vague and unsubstantiated characteristics invented it while waxing poetic in a cannabis-fueled flurry of dominated by Sativa/Indica labeling, toward a new extractor tech-speak. Wherever it came from, it stuck and if classification based on chemical varieties (or “chemovars”) you Google it, guess who pops up first? If you’re unfamiliar with a complex, but well-defined and reproducible chemical with the term chemovar stay tuned; we will take a quick flyover profile.” [4] below. Although the term “chemovar drift” is not yet formally defined The native chemovar is described as the chemical “fingerprint” in the cannabis nomenclature, it is a concept most cannabis or chemical profile of a cannabis flower and/or extract. users intuitively understand. Basically, does the output match Chemovar is an extension of the term chemotype defined the input? Does the extract taste like the flower and give as “...chemically characterized parts of a population of similar effects? CD gives us a measuring stick for native, full- morphologically indistinguishable individuals”. It was first spectrum extracts by taking a baseline chemovar profile of the coined by Dr. Rolf Santesson and his son Johan in 1968. input flower (cannabinoids and terpenoids) and overlaying it [1] The term was adopted and adapted for our industry by over the extract chemovar profile to discover deviations. such thought leaders as Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Dr. Ethan Russo, and Dr. Dedi Meiri, and is slowly replacing indica, Naturally we expect to see elevated concentrations of the sativa, and hybrid (ISH) efficacy descriptors. Drift, in this active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in the extract. What context is adapted from other scientific areas, such as genetic we are querying is how the chromatograms stack up. Do the drift (Biology), glacial drift (Geology) and linguistic drift peaks all line up and stack proportionate to the baseline data? (Language). [2] Once we have defined and validated the CD deviation metric, we then seek to minimize it as our ultimate goal. Chemovars can help us understand the potential organoleptic and efficacy of a particular variety of cannabis. They answer Philosophically, no longer are we lab rats to the glorious the questions, what will it taste and smell like and how will it wizards of the cannabis industry. We believe that all the glory affect me? It’s not the ISH or “strain”; it’s the chemovar profile belongs to the breeder, the farmer and our beloved plant... that provides taste, smell, and effects. There is a lot of work We are just the good shepherds, and CD tells us how good we happening regarding translating chemovar characterization really are. TERPENES & TESTING 11

So why does this matter? Mature cannabis markets are trending toward “terpier” products where taste, effect, and smell are key selling features. Products like Terp Sauce, High Terpene Full Spectrum Extract (HTFSE), Cannabis-Derived Terpenes (CDT), Live Resin, and more all have one thing in common: they’re rich in native cannabis terpenes and cannabinoids. These along with other native constituents are most accurately called a native chemovar profile, which is what many consumers desire.

In craft, recreational cannabis markets, consumers place high value on products containing native chemovars in full spectra. The diversity of the spectra and proportions of the chemical makeup play an essential role in the users’ experience. The taste, smell, and effects can change quite radically as a result of the manufacturing process. This deviation can lead to decreased value in the marketplace, in competition, and can potentially decrease medical efficacy. According to Dr. Bonnie Goldstein: “Concentrating cannabis into hash or wax may reduce the terpene content and may cause medicinal effects to change”. [5]

One of the best examples I’ve heard used for describing the relationship between a chemovar and its effects is the bicycle analogy. In this analogy the effects of a particular chemovar can be predicted by thinking of a bicycle. The rear wheel provides the propulsion which is equated to the

References [1] Keefover-Ring K. et al. “Beyond six scents: defining a seventh Thymus vulgaris chemotype new to southern France by ethanol extraction”, Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 2009, 24(3): 117-122. [journal impact factor = 1.377; cited by 48] [2] Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drift [3] Lewis, M. “Classification of Common California Cannabis Cultivars via Secondary Metabolite Characterization”, https://www.medicinalgenomics.com/ wp-content/uploads/2016/05/lewis-CannMed2016.pdf [4] Hazekamp, A. et al. “Cultivar to Chemovar II—A Metabolomics Approach to Cannabis Classification”, Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2006, Volume 1(1): 202-215. [journal impact factor = N/A; cited by 27] [5] Goldstein, B., Cannabis Revealed: How the world’s most misunderstood plant is treating everything from chronic pain to epilepsy, 2016, Bonni S. Goldstein MD INC. 12 TERPENES & TESTING

Figure 1: Comparison between the terpene profile of a flower and its corresponding concentrate.

Concentrate Terpene Fingerprint

Flower Terpene Fingerprint

14 TERPENES & TESTING

pharmacokinetics of the cannabinoids. The front wheel products. We’ve since won 8 first place finishes and 5 runner “steers” the propulsion; this is provided by the cannabinoids. ups over the course of two years. Our lab has consistently Although chemovar takes into account both cannabinoids demonstrated our ability to maintain the native chemovar in a and terpenoids, it’s the terpenes that are relatively new to the finished extract. We do not have a grow operation and, many limelight. Our industry needs to be careful not to let terpenes times, we are the sole processor only in the winners circle. To go the way of THC, where consumers start to believe more is us, this is further validation of our method as we typically don’t automatically better. There is a limit to terpene concentration get the advantage of “pick of the litter” flower like producer/ and in general, quality is more important than quantity. processors do.

Artist interpreted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry Judges award our products because they intuitively chromatographs of flower and extract overlayed illustrating appreciate an extract with minimal CD. We are winning minimal Relative Standard Deviation AKA Chemovar Drift against all forms of extraction in blinded, open categories like Best THC Oil, Best THC Cartridge, Best CBD live resin and Best CBD oil. I’m not one to boast and am merely offering this as an example of the impact that minimizing CD has on a concentrate users’ experience. I offer up our track record as insight for fellow stakeholders, enthusiasts, and even newbies: from our experience, full-spectrum is all about the flower and preserving its full profile in an extract by Specifically, we’ve found profile diversity and native constructs minimizing CD. matter more than volume when it comes to terpenes. We’ve had extracts with 30% terpenes that aren’t “loud” compared to an For us, CO2 extraction seems to do the best job at preserving extract that is less than 10% concentration. When we compare native chemovars in a safe and commercially viable manner chromatograms, it’s clear that the fuller and more diverse the (Figure 1), and refer back to the graphs on the previous page. spectrum, the “louder” and more complex the terpene profile If you’re looking to create award-winning, full-spectrum, becomes. When we use our senses, similar to how a perfumer inhalation extracts, no matter what the equipment, solvent or would waft and let a perfume “open”, we can compare high- solventless, minimizing CD should be a major consideration. purity terpene fractions. A well-trained palate can easily pick out the layers that a fuller profile gives compared to similar, less As new as it all seems, our industry is maturing. With peer- diverse, terpene profiles. Complexity and layers are what make reviewed evidence regarding the entourage effect, we are cannabis-derived terpenes special when compared to non- coming full circle, away from distillates and isolates and back cannabis derived terpenes. Minimizing CD is what makes them toward full spectrum and full profile. Taste and smell are no novel and more true to the original flower experience. longer viewed as simply value added features but are seen as integral parts of an extract’s efficacy and therapeutic value.

I’m the Chief Science Officer at a CO2 extraction lab in WA Markets are trending toward full-spectrum products but neglect state, which legalized adult use cannabis seven years ago in to consider how extraction and manufacturing has altered native 2012. Many call our state the world’s most mature cannabis chemical profiles and thus altered smell, taste, and effect. marketplace. It’s a highly competitive marketplace and an even more competitive cannabis competition scene. Next time you’re in a dispensary or retail shop, please ask the budtender if they’ve heard of chemovar drift. Then ask We knew we were ready for cannabis competitions when we what extracted products have the tightest profiles. You might made major strides a few years ago to minimize CD in our discover that this concept is still very new, but not for long. TERPENES & TESTING 13 Introducing XEN

Your one-stop OEM/ODM vape solution provider 16 TERPENES & TESTING What the Fact!? By Gursaanj Singh Bajaj and Markus Roggen, Ph.D., Complex Biotech Discovery Ventures (CBDV)

Products based on cannabis extracts are the fastest growing Change of extraction rate over time segments in the market. The demand for more cannabis 1.0 extracts is constantly growing and so is the price pressure on these extracts. In most mature markets, the prices of cannabis 0.8 and cannabis extracts have been declining, putting pressure on 0.6 producers to stabilize their profit margins. This trend is usually expected from an established market. If revenue is falling, the 0.4 only way to protect profits is to reduce costs. 0.2

Business people will suggest cutting labor costs or reducing Extracted Mass Rate (g/h) material costs. We are scientists; we will not do such things. We 0.0 0 20 40 60 80 want to point to the waste and inefficiencies in production and Figure 1 The mass of material being extracted per hour in relation to how to remove these. We want to help you reduce your cost of the experimental runs. The mass rate extracted has been normalized production and, possibly, make some better extract along the way. between 0 to 1. The x-axis identifies the experiment number. By keeping track of how much material gets extracted per run and What’s the Issue? Data Blindness for what duration, we can actually keep track of the efficiency of While working in process chemistry and data analytics, many certain instruments. As the trend suggests in Figure 1, with more shortcomings can be observed in the production of cannabis experimental runs, less material weight gets extracted per hour, throughout the industry. For example, terpenes are lost and hinting to a failing pump. cannabinol (CBN) is formed in the drying and decarboxylation process, extraction equipment is slowly breaking to leave Taking the hypothetical scenario where the company has run behind delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oils in the plant, roughly 85 extraction runs in total, conducting 2 runs a day at 10 and badly tuned processes produce low-quality oils that need hours per run (4 hours used for cleaning and turnover), we can costly cleanup steps. actually calculate the loss of potential extracted material during this span. This amounts to 850 hours. Not only do these drawbacks pose big problems to many companies, but most find it difficult, or even impossible, to The area covered in green represents the mass of material that has been extracted (M ) whereas the area covered in red understand the causes behind them. Though the answer differs Extracted represents the mass lost from the failing pump (MLost). So the total for each case and company, drawbacks can be more easily mass of material that the company could have extracted if they realized if producers took a more comprehensive approach were to have tracked their pump earlier (M ) can be defined as: while tracking their process. Knowing what happens to the Total MTotal = MExtracted + MLost cannabis material throughout the entirety of the extraction process is extremely valuable. Simply enough, if more is known So, the lost mass in comparison to the total can be denoted as about the processes and mechanics involved with production, (бM) where: бM = M / M instead of just the material itself, we are able to monitor the Lost Total processes, analyze them, and find improvement potential. Using some basic geometry as a rough estimate, we see that equates to a 20% loss in yield of oil. This is equivalent to 5.61 kg What Can We Do? Data Tracking for Process Control of oil being lost throughout the span of all extraction. If we were Extract manufacturers live by “garbage in, garbage out! Quality to assume a gram of oil sells at $10 per gram, this amounts to a potential loss $56,000. in, quality out!” How about garbage vs. quality work? We see many companies put a singular focus on the input TERPENES & TESTING 17 material, focusing on aspects such as weight and the profiles for cannabinoids and terpenes. While material input plays an important role in influencing the outcome, it does not do enough to reflect the complexity of all other process inputs involved (i.e. decarboxylation time, extraction pressure, winterization solvent, distillation temperature, etc.). We should also be tracking other important inputs. When considering extraction, by keeping better track of certain aspects of the extractor, such as the set temperatures, pressures, run times and the date, and more obscure aspects like particle size, we gain insights that could lead to minimizing waste production as well as high concentrated outputs. We can also spot instrument degradation early and in turn, minimize loss of efficiency among many other things.

Evidently, there are many other characteristics, both internal and external, in production that should be tracked and analyzed in order to better understand previous outcomes and, hopefully, prepare for future ones.

What Should We Do? Data Analysis for Process Improvement If the production teams keep meticulous track of their process data, and even sprinkle in some well-planned experimental conditions, it becomes possible to improve the process even further. Here is an example of how data was used to improve both the yield of cannabis extraction and the concentration of THC in the extract.

We can correlate how important certain inputs are to a known output through an analytical process known as the Design of Experiments (DOE). We can compute response surfaces to visually evaluate how the combination of input variables (e.g. temperature and pressure) impact the resulting output (e.g. yield and concentration). Figure 2 shows that we can expect the highest concentration of THC to be extracted at the middle ground pressure for separator 1 and higher pressure for separator 2. Whereas, Figure 3 shows that we can expect to have the highest yield at a low pressure for separator 1 and the lowest pressure for separator 2.

Also Why We Should Do It? Data Analytics for the Future Although, data analytics has found its way into sales processes some time ago, data analytics for production only saw its first applications very recently, and is still not widely accepted. The use of data analytics in cannabis production appears daunting. The usefulness of such analytics is also not directly apparent.

Process data analytics does not need to be hard; there are specialists for it, but it can be very useful if you try it out [check out the free data analytics tool on our website (https://www. cbdvl.com/freedata.html)]. The cannabis industry is in an early phase and we still have room for large improvements. But if we don’t know what we are doing, we cannot make it better. Response With Normalized Yield & Concentration at 0.0 Yield Weight

Figure 2 Normalized DOE response surface illustrating what concentration of material extracted is expected at given pressures of separator 1 and 2. Retail & Bulk Available

Response With Normalized Yield & Concentration at 1.0 Yield Weight

Figure 3 Normalized DOE response surface illustrating what yield of material extracted is expected at given pressures of separator 1 and 2. Cannabidiol Isolate THC-Free Distillate Water Soluble Liquids

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Learn more at milehighlabs.com or by calling 833.CBD.1011 20 TERPENES & TESTING ASTM D37 on Cannabis: Three Years of Standards Development By Darwin Millard, ASTM International Technical Committee D37, Phytologix

Evolution is a necessary cycle. As the The D37 is comprised of several D37.07 on Hemp – working to establish cannabis industry matures and emerges subcommittees each dedicated to a standards for products and processes from the shadows of prohibition, it will specific sector/segment of the cannabis associated with cannabis seed and fiber need a solid foundation from which industry. These include: to grow and a partner not adverse D37.08 on Devices and Appliances – to overcoming challenges. ASTM D37.01 on Cultivation – focused on the D37’s newest subcommittee will create International is the world’s oldest development of indoor and outdoor quality and safety standards for personal not-for-profit international standards agricultural and horticultural standards consumption devices, such as vape development organization. pens, and appliances, like at-home grow D37.02 on Quality Management – equipment Established in 1898 to standardize the dedicated to establishing practices and quality and performance of steel rails guidelines for implementing systems for D37.91 on Terminology – one of D37’s used in the railroad industry in the United quality management most important subcommittees, States, ASTM International has evolved terminology looks to define the terms into a prominent standards development D37.03 on Laboratory Testing – that will be used to talk about the organization, creating standards for harmonizing the various test methods cannabis plant, its products, and everything from the materials used in the that exist and addressing the lack of processes fuselage of an airplane to textiles used in trust of testing data in the marketplace the seat of your car. To date, the D37 has published eight D37.04 on Processing and Handling – standards including: a specification ASTM International’s technical covering everything from the harvest for water activity and a practice for committee D37 on Cannabis was process through fulfilment and every determining it in cannabis flowers founded in February 2017 to create step between intended to be combusted or vaporized; market relevant consensus standards guides for establishing a hazard analysis for the cannabis industry. The D37’s D37.05 on Security and Transportation critical control point (HACCP) program scope covers the development and – creating common-sense security and and corrective action and preventative maintenance of standards and guidance transportation standards that are fit-for- action (CAPA) protocols for cannabis materials for the cannabis plant and its purpose operations; guidelines for proper disposal products and processes, emphasizing of raw materials and downstream safety for the consumer and the D37.06 on Personnel Training and products containing resins; and the environment. The D37 coordinates Credentialing – helping to establish the cleaning of an indoor cultivation facility. with other ASTM committees and type of training employees working in organizations having mutual interest to the cannabis space should receive The Jamaican government adopted the ensure its efforts are not duplicated. first four standards published by the TERPENES & TESTING 21

D37: both water activity standards and The D37.07 is working on standards to to heart. As stewards of this plant and the waste disposal and cleaning guides. commoditize cannabis seed and fiber the planet, our standards have to be products. The D37.07 is working with developed with sustainability and social- The D37 has established alliances and the SCC and CHTA to help accelerate the economic justice in mind. We have to openly collaborates with the Foundation development of these standards using constantly remind ourselves that we are On Unified Cannabis Standards (FOCUS), Canadian specifications and guidelines. creating standards for the international the American Trade Association for marketplace and not just for the western Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH), the The D37 is in the process of forming its world. Standards Council of Canada (SCC), the ninth subcommittee focusing on devices National Research Council of Canada for consuming cannabis flower and Come be a part of the change you (NRC), the Canadian Hemp Trade concentrates and at home appliances, want to see in the world. Only Alliance (CHTA), the Hemp Industries like grow lights and other consumer through the participation of industry Association (HIA), the International facing products. stakeholders can the development of Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute standards that will be adopted by the (ICCI), the European Industrial Hemp With all the press about vaping deaths, industry be assured. Our goal is to Association (EIHA), and others. the D37.08 will be addressing the quality create a foundation from which a true and safety concerns with cannabis vape commodities market can grow and The D37 has conducted two European cartridges and formulations a primary provide the cannabis plant, the products workshops with the intention of getting the issue. derived therefrom, and the industry as a word out about the D37 and encouraging whole with the legitimacy it needs to be participation from European and other The cannabis movement and the taken seriously on the world stage. international stakeholders. A third sustainability movement go hand in European workshop is planned for the 22nd hand, and the D37 has taken this mantra Committee D37 invites you to attend and 23rd of October 2020, in Prague, Czech their future standards development Republic (the weekend before Cannafest). meetings. There is no fee to attend these meetings, and membership in ASTM In January of 2019, the D37 formed a International is not required. For more subcommittee dedicated to developing information on the committee’s activities, consensus standards for industrial meeting schedules, and how to join, visit hemp varieties of the cannabis plant the D37’s webpage at: www.astm.org/ and products derived therefrom. COMMIT/COMMITTEE/D37.htm. 22 TERPENES & TESTING Viva the “Live” Revolution: Cryo- Trimming™ and Freeze- Drying Cannabis Flowers By Travis (TJ) Arnovick, The Original Resinator®

The cannabis industry is growing so fast that it can be flowers, transforming the water inside them to ice crystals. difficult to decipher the wheat from the chaff. Even for A propitious consideration when wanting the optimal result experienced titans of the industry, methodology and accounts for freeze rates. Flash-freezing encourages fewer equipment are advancing so rapidly that it’s hard to know and smaller ice crystals thereby assisting in avoiding a what best suits a growing operation. Even at the retail phenomenon known as ice nucleation, which can lead to consumer level, there are so many choices that brands must cellular collapse if the crystals expand by defrosting. Simply constantly adapt to stay relevant while competing for brand stated, freezing a botanical quickly forms small ice crystals. identity and market share. It may seem that just when one grasps the current cannabis climate, the next newest cultivar Use of low pressure and temperature induces a phase change or type of concentrate is flooding the culture. With so much called sublimation, which describes the transformation of solid- change, how do you know when something historical is state material (like an ice crystal) into a gas (like water vapor). occurring right before your eyes? It takes less heat/energy to sublimate small ice crystals and that sublimation causes less damage to the physical structure of the Although rhetorical, the answer to this question is not product. Once those crystals have formed and stabilized, the always obvious. How about when the completely unexpected pressure inside the freeze-dryer is lowered, creating a vacuum. happens? Cryo-trimming™ and lyophilization of cannabis Sublimated water vapor is pulled into a colder condensation flowers are literal game-changers. Pioneers of this unit by the vacuum pump, leaving freeze-dried flower that technology refer to this process as Crop to Cure in 24 hours retains its taste, color, shape, potency and fragrance. since cultivators experience what traditionally takes 18–30 days in under 24 hours. Let’s frame this for perspective. Imagine cutting down a live cannabis or hemp plant, and 24 hours later you have a Lyophilization is nothing new, until you are applying the perfectly dried and preserved flower ready for consumption. technique and associated recipes to cannabis and hemp Just like in traditional methods, you would lose 75% of flower, that is. Then it becomes as foreign as a language you the water weight, but none of the structure. The bud looks may be aware of but can hardly begin to understand. It’s a the same way coming out as when it went into the freeze process in which water is removed from a product after it is dryer. Not only would you retain more THC (delta-9- frozen and placed under a vacuum. This allows ice to change tetrahydrocannabinol), CBD (cannabidiol), CBN (cannabinol), directly from solid to vapor without passing through a liquid CBG (cannabigerol), CBC (cannabichromene) & terpenes than phase, in contrast to dehydration by most conventional any other drying method, but you would also eliminate the methods that evaporate water using heat. This process is possibility of mold and pest contamination. also known as freeze-drying or cryodesiccation.

Special equipment like CO2 trimmers/cryo-tumblers, and To prepare freeze-dried buds, fresh flowers are put on steel commercial freeze dryers are used to accomplish this crop racks, which are subsequently placed inside an extremely to cure process. Let’s go into some of the science behind the cold chamber. Sub-zero temperatures quickly freeze the tech. Liquid CO2 allows for the processing of live cannabis TERPENES & TESTING 23

flowers and sugarleaf. After a liquid CO2 injection, the cryo- then there is no rupturing of cellular walls or fear of cellular trim process aids to get the exterior of the leaves just brittle collapse so the same principles do not apply. enough to fracture and fall from the flower, or when taken to much colder temperatures and length of time spun, for In these live applications, it is critical to never break the trichome separation. cold-chain. In order to maintain subzero temperatures, you will need to immediately place the biomass into a pre-frozen

When utilizing CO2 to cryo-trim live or uncured cannabis freeze dryer. This is done much in the same fashion you flowers, one should consider the fact that the oxygen in would preheat an oven. If there will be any delay in live the center chamber is being displaced. Some benefits of biomass being placed into the frozen chamber of the freeze using liquid CO2 for live trimming, trichome collection and dryer, one should store the live material within a deep freezer biomass reduction include hydrophobic (repelling water) or a cryo-freezer (ultra-low temp freezer) to preserve or and hydroscopic (freeze rate) properties. The nature of this suspend the biomass for further processing. By placing the process ruptures the cellular wall of the plant, much in the biomass directly within a freeze-dryer, we can stabilize it, same way that a plant left out in the snow would freeze. making the product shelf-ready within a compressed time period. This establishes the highest value product curing Thus, in order to preserve the integrity of the flower, we need methods and stabilizes all biomass appropriately. Hence to freeze-dry biomass before it has a chance to oxidize. There your products will retain all of the high value elements: i.e. are pre- and post-treatments for freeze drying flowers, herbs, potency, flavor and marketable appearance. fruits and vegetables alike. In traditional methods, when you hang dry a cannabis product for 18 to 30 days to dry and And although freeze-dried flowers are only beginning to cure, the enzymes that cause plant senescence deteriorate as make their debut appearance on the world cannabis stage, they act on the chlorophyll. That is why it takes so long to get live extractions have already made a lasting impression and rid of the grassy taste. proven the demand for fresh-frozen and live extractions. Subzero temperatures are preferred when making any When freeze drying, all the cell walls are cracked open, so extraction. Particularly, when cannabidiolic acid (CBD-A) and it is easy for the product to absorb moisture from the air. tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THC-A) levels are at highest When the lyophilized or freeze-dried cannabis comes out of levels, which occurs in their live or uncured state. Reducing the freeze dryer, it begins to absorb moisture from the air, live biomass into a concentrated form of pure resin glands and it is now in an oxygen atmosphere. Also referred to as allows for as much as 80% faster processing and recovery normalizing or oxygenation. These two things, plus enzymes times across just about any application. May it be Rosin, that are still 100% potent will cause the degradation of the Distillate, Butane Hash Oil, Sauce, Diamonds, Moon Rocks chlorophyll in 1 to 4 hours, (depending on humidity of the or PreRolls... “Live” cannabis flowers and extracts is a localized environment) and give you a product that is cured revolution that has only just begun. as if it was hanging for 30 days. Now keep in mind that if a botanical product has been naturally dried and cured, Special thanks to Rich Delong of CannaFreeze®. 24 TERPENES & TESTING Overly Dry Cannabis Isn’t Just a Profit Killer; It’s a Massive Quality-Control Issue It’s Time to Solve the Cannabis Industry’s Evaporation Problem By Sean Knutsen, Boveda

The last thing any commercial cultivator wants to do is pour flower that’s too moist is prone to hazardous mold and their time, energy and resources into a high-quality harvest, microbial growth. To avoid that risk, many companies finish only to see that quality and value dry up before reaching end their cure and then store, package and sell their cannabis in a consumers. And yet, that’s exactly what many cultivators are state that’s unfavorably dry. But that’s ill-advised. doing when they package and sell their flower without taking steps to prevent evaporation. Like most plants, cannabis contains a lot of water. Our research shows that, with a mere 5% dip below the optimal America’s cannabis industry has a widespread evaporation RH threshold, drier air eliminates 6 pounds per every 1,000 problem. In fact, an analysis by researchers at Boveda found pounds of cannabis flower. For example, at $5 per gram that nearly three-quarters of cannabis flower sold in the wholesale, that works out to upwards of $13,600 in lost U.S. today is too dry. [1] That’s bad news for cultivators and revenue. And that’s from just a 5% drop in RH. consumers—not just because evaporation cuts into business profits and too-dry cannabis is unappealing to consumers, Of course, wholesale prices vary significantly. Regardless, but also because the chemical composition of cannabis thousands of dollars in revenue are at stake. Our analysis flower degrades as it dries out. To put it simply: You can’t also revealed that many cultivars sold today are more than have quality assurance or quality control in cannabis without 10% below the optimal RH range. That’s a whole lot of moisture control. money that simply evaporated into thin air.

The scale of this oft-overlooked problem in the cannabis Evaporating Quality industry is eye-opening. Of 35 cannabis samples purchased Profit loss isn’t the only problem with overly dry cannabis in five legal state markets, Boveda’s testing showed 74% flower. With a decrease in flower moisture content, there is a were below the optimal relative humidity (RH) range of 58- subsequent loss of terpenes. When harvested cannabis dries out 62%. Within this target range, cannabis retains its full quality to below 55% RH, trichome health is compromised, potency is and maximum value, thus ensuring full potency and efficacy diminished and overall quality is lost. Simply put, whatever you at the time of grinding or extracting. But when RH levels dip can smell in the container came from the trichomes. below or rise above this target RH range, the compositional integrity and market value of your flower rapidly decline. This is a consequential problem for cultivators and consumers alike, and particularly concerning for medical Silent Profit Killer consumers—because terpene loss alters the chemical Evaporation is quietly undercutting profit margins for composition of cannabis flower, which could negatively cannabis cultivators across the country as the decreased impact therapeutic efficacy. weight of overdried flower equates to lost market value. Cultivators, processors and packagers are often hesitant Researchers believe the various chemical components of to introduce moisture after harvest for good reason, since cannabis interact to produce a synergistic “entourage effect” TERPENES & TESTING 25 References [1] https://bovedainc.com/ controlling-evaporation-in- cannabis/ [2] Russo, E. “Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects”, Br J Pharmacol. 2011; 163(7): 1344– 1364. [journal impact factor = 6.81; cited by 408] [3] Baron, EP. “Medicinal Properties of Cannabinoids, Terpenes, and Flavonoids in Cannabis, and Benefits in Migraine, Headache, and Pain: An Update on Current Evidence and Cannabis Science.” Headache, 2018 Jul;58(7):1139-1186. [journal impact factor = 3.189; cited by 5] 26 TERPENES & TESTING

that’s more efficacious than when individual components are the use of these vestiges of the underground era can lead to consumed. [2] And a growing body of evidence suggests this overly moist cannabis and subsequent mold and microbial entourage effect may be harnessed through the development growth. of cultivars with very specific ratios of cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids capable of producing predictable But two-way humidity control solutions prevent mold risk. psychotropic effects and more targeted therapeutic The desiccants (a.k.a. freshness packs) you find in beef jerky treatments. [3] But none of that can happen without first and other products are one-way humidity control: designed establishing proper humidity control to preserve targeted to absorb as much moisture as possible. But a two-way terpene ratios. humidity control system continually responds to conditions by adding or removing moisture to the enclosed environment, A Simple Solution maintaining the predetermined RH level printed on the pack. Cannabis companies take considerable risks by neglecting By adding or removing pure water vapor from the headspace to package and store cannabis flower with humidity control of a package or container—automatically and as needed— in mind. Excessive post-harvest evaporation, however, is two-way humidity systems maintain a constant, predetermined entirely preventable. Additionally, preventing quality losses RH level. This ensures an unchanging level of moisture weight due to evaporation is easy and cost-effective to do using inside the cannabis flower: not too wet, not too dry. humidity controls designed to maintain a specific RH level. As wholesale prices decline, cultivators must wring out Rudimentary humidity control agents like orange rinds, every last drop of potential revenue in their operations while tortillas, wet paper towels, or cotton pads can only add maintaining quality standards—and proper humidity control moisture into the headspace of a package or container. And is the key.

28 TERPENES & TESTING Hemp Plastics When is a Solution not Really the Answer? By Daniel Isenstein, Hemp Highway of Kentucky

The article entitled “Lego Goes to Hemp Plastic by 2030” [1] like corn, cotton, soy and peanuts. Among the other crops was first published almost two years ago. This past summer, researched was hemp. The goal was to identify crops where this story was given fresh life when publications such as farmers could convert biomass into a saleable commodity. Extract [2] and other online sources picked up on it. Now, it Usually, this involved converting cellulose into products haunts social media like LinkedIn and Facebook. But, is this like paper and plastic. In 1937, the price of cotton dropped story being reported accurately? If so, what does this news approximately 40% making it the cheapest form of cellulose mean? The answers may be disappointing. available. This had as much to do with preventing hemp from becoming the “Billion Dollar Crop” as the Marijuana Tax Act. Language matters and this can get confusing. Plastics are [4] In the 1950s, the development of petroleum-based plastics comprised of polymers, but polymers are not necessarily accelerated compared to development of plastics created from plastics. Confusion is created when the mainstream and “biobased polymers”. Petroleum was an easier material to work cannabis medias use polymer and plastics interchangeably. with and available in abundance. There were numerous plastic Plastics can be formulated from feedstocks that are either materials developed, each having different properties and uses. biobased or petroleum-based polymers. When a polymer is The plastic used in “disposable” water bottles is not suitable for converted into a plastic, the structure and properties of the use on a precision electrical connector or medical device. This is base material are changed. what makes Lego an excellent case study.

The confusion about “bioplastics” has become detrimental The article in Cannabis Magazine quotes Allen Rasmussen, such that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry Project Manager at Lego, from an article published in the (IUPAC) issued recommendations discouraging the term industry trade journal Plastics News. [1] “I need to find a “bioplastic”, preferring “biobased polymer”, which is “defined as material as good as this one,” Rasmussen said. “I need to find a polymer derived from the biomass or issued from monomers a material that will be just as good in 50 years, because these derived from the biomass and which, at some stage in its are passed down from generation to generation.” The Cannabis processing into finished products, can be shaped by flow.” [3] Magazine article then discusses the environmental benefits of The statement explains that using “bioplastic” is confusing and is often used to imply that plastic- derived from biomass is the “opposite” of material “derived from fossil fuel resources.

It goes on to “discourage” use of the term “bioplastic” because it is “misleading” and “suggests that any polymer derived from the biomass is environmentally friendly” which is not necessarily true. In other words, the discussion is not as simple as plants good, petroleum bad.

In the early 20th century, a new science emerged called “Chemurgy”, which researched converting agricultural waste into usable products. Two of its leading proponents were George Washington Carver, best known for his work with peanuts, and William J. Hale, one of the founders of Dow Chemical and the Midland Section of the American Chemical Society. Most of the research conducted was on crops that were in steady production, TERPENES & TESTING 27 THE ORIGINAL All Purpose Home & Garden Bag

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www.TrueLibertyBags.com 888-800-2680 [email protected] 30 TERPENES & TESTING using “hemp plastics”. There’s just one problem. The author The mainstream media and the cannabis press do a disservice embellishes the quote, making it into a hemp story, when when they tout hemp as a miracle raw material that can be Rasmussen never discusses hemp plastics. Rasmussen is just fabricated into a plethora of environmentally positive end stating that he wants a sustainable resin material that will be products ultimately replacing a large portion of evil, polluting durable for at least 50 years. plastics. While the search for such a material is a noble and worthy cause, it’s perhaps akin to modern Alchemy, the There was no footnote for this quote in the article, only science that never was. a hyperlink to the Plastics News homepage. Search of “bioplastics” on the Plastics News website revealed an New industries need to be incubated and nourished. Projects incredulous editorial about “bioplastics” entitled “When Are that start small and can scale up stand the best chance Plastics Not Plastics?”. [5] At the time, another biobased of survival. Pressing hemp hurds into “pellets” for use in plastic, a sugar-based material, was being touted as a woodstoves is a model that could work on a local level. panacea for the ills of the indestructible Lego brick. The article It would utilize hemp stalks from any type of agricultural explains that Lego bricks are currently made from Acrylonitrile production. In Murray, Kentucky, a company named Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and emphatically states that ABS, Hempwood makes “wood” products like laminate flooring regardless of whether it’s plant- or petroleum-based will still from hemp stalks. There are even hemp polymers that can be chemically identical; it will just be compounded from a be molded into different basic forms without the significant renewable feedstock. Even if such a miracle “plastic” material chemical conversion required to make true “plastic”. existed, there are several major obstacles to “growing” our way out of the plastics pollution mess. One is the diversion Which now comes full circle to the question of Lego and of food crops to produce non-food consumer products. “hemp plastic” in 2030? Zeoform, the company linked to Lego Plastic formulated from sugarcane is already used in small in the article from Cannabis Magazine confirms that adapting scale applications. However, “replacing a significant fraction their material for use in Lego bricks is a realistic project and of the global demand for plastics, let alone fuels, would worthy goal. But it will take time and significant investment. require converting large swaths of yet more Brazilian land Just remember, if this project does come to fruition, the bricks into sugarcane fields.” This conundrum is not lost on CEO of will be hemp-based, and they will be from a polymer. But they Cereplast Fredrick Scheer: “In the long run, this could become won’t be “plastic”. an issue. You cannot have access to farmland without creating pressures on the food system.” [6] Remember, the ideal behind “Chemurgy” was to generate revenue from agricultural waste, not divert land used for primary food crops. References [1] Green E., “Lego Goes to Hemp Plastic by 2030”, Another obstacle is infrastructure. As a nation, we have not fully Cannabis Magazine, posted November 8, 2017, accessed embraced something like recycling by making a commitment October 17, 2019. to make services and facilities universally available. (Editor’s [2] Rees, M. “Lego Going Hemp”, Extract, posted June Note: I can’t get recycling pickup in my community.) Recycling 26, 2019, updated September 23, 2019, accessed October can make a huge impact on the amount of plastic entering the 17, 2019. waste stream. Industrial and consumer waste can be profitably recycled into a variety of uses, but it requires commitment. The [3] Vert, M. “Terminology for biorelated polymers and question, “Is it a wiser use of existing resources to commit to applications (IUPAC Recommendations 2012),” Pure and cleaning up the current mess through an aggressive recycling Applied Chemistry. 84 (2): 377–410. [impact factor = infrastructure than to invest heavily in new biobased plastics 5.294; cited by 204] technology?”, needs to be studied in more depth. The final [4] “Deny Hemp Plant to Close” Danville Commercial News, obstacle is chemistry. The Holy Grail for bio-plastics is an written October 1, 1937, accessed October 17, 2019 environmentally neutral, easily biodegradable plastic resin, that simply does not yet exist and likely never will. Plastics are [5] Leopp, D. “When are Plastics Not Plastics?”, Plastics usually sourced because of their durability and low cost. Yes, it News, posted July 7, 2015, accessed October 17, 2019. would be great if that plastic bottle decomposed 90 days after [6] Biello, D. “Plastics from Plants: Is It an Environmental use, but how does plastic know when it’s been used? Advocates Boon or Bane” Scientific American, posted October 26, promoting “hemp plastic” as the miracle material are basically 2010, accessed October 17, 2019. articulating their hopes, not a scientific reality. TERPENES & TESTING 29 UP TO 99.85% TOTAL CANNABINOIDS

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www.rootsciences.com

Root Sciences is the global leader in the distribution of equipment and support services for processing facilities in the cannabis and hemp industries, representing premium extraction, distillation and other post-processing technologies. Founded in 2016, Root Sciences has clients in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North and South America. For more information, visit www.rootsciences.com. 32 TERPENES & TESTING Know Before They Do: Self-Audit Software By Ezra Pryor, Heidolph-North America

The number of states having decriminalized cannabis to implementation of the actual oversight. Often state agencies full out legalization for recreational use, or something do not hire enough staff to do the job, or their regulatory in between, continues to grow and shows no signs of framework is so misguided that it is unenforceable. Many slowing. As each state changes their laws, they face new states have done nothing proactively to assure their licensees challenges on how to implement these regulations. One are complying. Oregon is an example of a state that was of the most significant challenges is regulatory oversight. proactive but fell embarrassingly short of success. They Regulatory oversight in this context is the state’s involvement were only able to audit less than 3% of their recreational in assuring that growers, processors, distribution and cannabis licensed facilities in 2018. Often, a measure of a laboratories operate properly and that consumers, workers state’s preparedness for regulatory oversight is the number and the environment are not harmed in the process. When of auditors per licensed facility. The Oregon medical cannabis it’s done right, regulatory oversight can drastically reduce program does staggeringly poor by this measure with only diversion into black markets, contamination by pesticides six auditors responsible for overseeing 6850 grow sites. or other adulterants, recalls, unsafe working conditions, and the distribution of improperly labeled products. When it’s Additionally, California’s state agency the Bureau of Cannabis done improperly it can do nothing at all or worse, cripple an Control (BCC) does not take any proactive actions when emerging legal cannabis market before it even starts. it comes to regulatory oversight. Instead, the BCC has a complaints hotline and will only consider inspecting a facility It’s not an uncommon opinion that regulatory oversight is a dirty when they presume it poses a problem. This is a system that phrase. It is understandable after all, since before legalization (or frames the issue of regulatory compliance in an entirely negative decriminalization), a visit from the fire department could lead to light and is clearly ineffective as some experts have estimated imprisonment and seizure of all assets, as they would call in the that California is home to over 700 illegal dispensaries. police at the first whiff of cannabis. Times have changed though, that is, depending on where you are located. State agencies are Owners of legal cannabis businesses often find themselves now in support of the cannabis industry as the cannabis tax woefully unprepared for regulatory oversight as well. This is dollar is a tremendous asset. The automotive industry is a good more often the case than not when it comes to operations example of regulation improving safety. Without regulation in the run by those previously in the black-market. When they were automotive industry, we would still have cars without seatbelts, running black-market operations, there was no need to be crumple zones or airbags. You might think that innovations that concerned with regulations of any kind. Even those that could were poised to save countless lives, such as these, would be make the leap from black market to legal cannabis were not adopted instantly and without resistance. That was far from the only plagued with bad habits but least willing to interact with case, as both industry and culture were resistant to adopting regulatory agencies in a positive way. these changes. It took the outside influence of a regulatory body to make these changes happen. It was only after congress There are countless horror stories about operators not knowing passed the National Highway Safety Act and instituted the what they are doing and causing catastrophic accidents or National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the seatbelt releasing unsafe product to the market. One need only look to became standard in American automobiles. butane extraction accidents to see how careless some people can be. Entire trailers have been engulfed in flames or homes Acceptance is not the only hurdle facing fully functional reduced to a smoldering foundation due to careless practices. regulatory oversight in the emerging legal cannabis Countless incidences of pesticide contaminated cannabis can market. Another challenge that states must deal with is the be found in nearly every state and were only discovered with TERPENES & TESTING 33 the advent of analytical testing of cannabis products. This is particularly egregious when you consider that some people who use cannabis have a compromised immune system and may be more vulnerable to these types of poisons.

There is, however, a solution for both regulator and operator that could make problems like these just stuff for the history books. That solution is automation of the inspection process. In the past, inspections by regulators or operators were conducted with pen and paper and tremendous binders full of regulations and checklists. This tedious task was done over a period of weeks or even months. Then, after all of that, the information gathered in the binders would need to be extracted to put into reports which could take another several weeks if it was ever done at all. With these methods, compliance felt something like painting the Golden Gate Bridge; by the time you finish, it’s taken so long that it’s time to start back at the other end again. In our modern day, where banking and textbooks have gone paperless, there is a better way to get things done.

Automation of the inspection process can take what used to be a several months long process and makes it nearly instant. With a tool like AuditProHBX, an audit that could have taken a week can be done in a day. Numerous users can inspect their own department simultaneously on a mobile device and the data gets seamlessly aggregated. That time- consuming report generation is literally completed in an instant with abundant reports (Figure 1) to choose from to highlight specific trends or information. Corrective actions can be tracked and assigned to various employees. With AuditProHBX, what a single person can accomplish in a day is increased by an order of magnitude.

Imagine, for example, you have 100 grow rooms, divided to prevent pest and pathogen spreading. You could have one skilled auditor inspect each room, at three a day, five days per week; this would take 45 days to accomplish. Alternatively, with AuditProHBX, you could have 30 workers conducting self-audits simultaneously. They could be unprepared to do an inspection without the software, but using their mobile devices, conduct an audit with ease on three rooms each and the entire job would be done in one day. The results of these 30 first-time auditors would be automatically aggregated through a cloud-based system and available to the compliance specialist the same day as the audits took place using the AuditProHBX dashboard interface. Beautiful and persuasive charts and graphs (Figure 2) could be generated effortlessly all within that first day. Corrective actions could be assigned and tracked from a single computer (Figure 3), with priorities assigned on any number of criteria, for example, which issue would lead to the most expensive fine in the case of an outside audit. 1. Figure 1. Instantly generated reports.

Figure 2. Beautiful, persuasive graphs generated instantly 2. 3.

Figure 3. Track issues and get corrective action and regulatory information. Let’s imagine that the BCC in California had AuditProHBX at inspection. Facilities that are in near perfect compliance their fingertips and so did the licensed operators. The BCC could be held up as an example. When the BCC inspectors could receive reports from the licensees and identify trends do come out for a visit, they would be able to utilize the same across the state. Then, the BCC could address specific issues criteria and be identical as auditors instead of being subject with education and outreach. For example, let’s say that many to bias and person-to-person variations based on what the people are failing at chemical storage regulations. The BCC auditor remembers to look for. could put out a factsheet on proper chemical storage and drastically improve the level of compliance statewide in that Compliance in an emerging market is a challenge for both area. In this way, the BCC could be proactive and provide operators and regulators. It can be tempting to ignore the support to improve their compliance issues across the state. issue or employ old methods like paper checklists. Many As another example, imagine that one county is consistently licensees are struggling to establish compliance, while many failing in proper pesticide use. The BCC could launch a state agencies are doing nothing to support the compliance program to educate the people in that county, which would be of their licensees. With the use of modern tools like tremendously more affordable than training the entire state. AuditProHBX, we can overcome these challenges and move towards a future where the environment, employees, and Additionally, the BCC could use reports submitted by the consumers are at a reduced risk of being accidentally exposed licensees to determine who needs visiting for an in-person to harmful contaminated cannabis. http://auditpro.com/