So my issue has become very consistent and its driving me nuts!
I do second passes on all my distillations with an enzymatic degum and wash in between. My color improves, smell is non existent, but i average a 5-10% drop in potency every time. Seeing that i consistently pull a good amount of gums, as well as alot of red colors with the wash…it seems that should be helping my potency, but its not. Hoping someone may be able to offer up some thoughts.
System is a Summit 10L full bore, with HB heads. Sogevac, and 2 edwards 30’s.
I run a hot condenser and pull my 1st pass as quick as possible without going over 215 on the mantle, and 2nd pass 190-205.
Washes are done with RO water and Heptane. usually 2 washes at ph4, 3-5 washes at 9, and back to 7.
am I losing potency just due to it being passed twice? Could I be losing THC in the wash somehow? i use cold tap water but have not been using salt as i have not seen a difference between the two.
Also, can your lab show you the chromatograph readout? You might be getting some isomerization if you’re not neutralizing enough. You might have some mystery peaks developing. Try and get the data after cleanup but before second pass as well.
with your wash at 3 different ph levels seems overkill. we keep ours between 7-9 wash until no red then remove doesnt take more than 20 minutes. why the enzymatic degumming during distillation and not winterization. most of my experience with enzymes during distillation process results in thc percentage drop but we are also looking for conversions.
The number of washes always varies, but i generally just wash until the water clears up… and it takes a few hours because im doing it with 10-20k batch sizes in a reactor. I also dont winterize, as we run our ethanol extractions and -60, and if there are any remaining lipids they get separated cleanly in the 1st pass. I do the degum process after 1st pass because it is much more simple, and less time consuming to heat up 1st pass distillate with no solvents or terps left in and makes it more effective and noticeable when i go straight to wash after. That make sense?