Hello all!
Recently we’ve been attempting to sonicate tinctures using the QSonica 2000 (flow cell model). As I understand, its essentially the same as a homogenizer but with the ability of doing much larger batches. We started getting a horrible taste similar to what silicone hosing smells like. We tried 5 different types of food grade, odor, and taste resistant tubing to no avail. So, instead of using the flow cell, we did a small batch in a bucket and still got the same horrible taste. We chilled the solution so that it was well below 20degC and sonicated to reach 40degC and got a bit of the same taste but it wasn’t as bad. The catch is 1) the taste is still there 2) we can’t get the sonicator to work in the flowcell below 40degC so it isn’t ideal. We figured the sweetener might be the issue after trying sunflower oil and grapeseed oil, which both tasted even worse. Finally, we switched to fructose instead and went back to MCT - still the same horrible taste. Has anyone come accross this? Does anyone get a bad taste from the oil after sonication?
Thanks for your time!
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What surfactant or emulsifor are you using?
also what is your starting material
We’re not currently using one. We’re not going to add another variable until we get this figured out - or at least that was the plan.
Crude, fully winterized, carbon scrubbed, the whole shabang.
Ah. Well, I can assuredly tell you to not use soy lecthin and polysorbate in combination if you care about taste
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Ya. I have a bit of background with chemistry/use of surfactants and binding agents and with how the sunflower oil version as well as a previous batch with sunflower lecithin-containing flavoring turned out, we weren’t planning on it. 
But thank you for the heads up.
If you want advice from someone less skilled’s opinions, read on:
If not, ill fuck off 
Try isolate + MCT or just MCT. If that tastes fine it’s the starting material. Did you do a Liquid liquid extraction with it to pull off water solubles?
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There’s always plenty to learn from anyone, and this forum is a great testament to that - Don’t sell yourself short. 
We do pull off the water solubles, yes. We use a bit of a different technique than LLE but get the same results.
We’ve made samples on the hotplate with just a spin bar and heat (our sonication horn is very large and meant to be in the flowcell so it makes a mess outside of it) and didn’t get the taste, so I don’t think it’s the crude. We’ve also tried the MCT alone and still got the taste. We thought maybe it was getting pulled from the hose or from the breakdown of the sweetener under such intense conditions (AKA sonication) but after changing the sweetener and doing MCT alone, we know it’s the MCT itself. But we also know people are sonicating MCT out there, hence the confusion/frustration.
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I don’t have a good source yet at all on this, but i don’t think some plastics are compatible with mct
edit:
Yeah i see even c8 isn’t compatible with some.
What are all the plastic types you tried?
Tygon and food grade silicones. There’s many we’ve tried but even without the tubing in a stainless steel beaker it did the same.
Have you tried sonicating the mct alone? It could the the taste of the extract.
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I have. It’s definitely the MCT.
Probes are consumable items which release particulate and require replacement over time. Post processing sample filtration is recommended.
Q2000 Sonicator | Ultrasonic Homogenizer & Emulsifier | Qsonica
Are you sure it’s not the probe you can taste?
Most cannabis labs can perform heavy metal analysis. You might even find one willing to look at your oil pre/post sonication for breakdown products from the MCT. Although most would prefer not to load MCT on their columns.
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It’s brand new and we keep it clean. Barely has maybe 2 or 3 hours use on it and we filter the MCT. You’re right that the probe is a consumable but I find it hard to believe the titanium horn is breaking down that much. But maybe you’re right. I’ll check with the lab we use.
I was asked to bring a cheap Chinese flow cell style sonicator online about six months back. I turned the project down because the metallurgy didn’t read right. Your machine looks to be higher quality, and I doubt what you’re tasting is Ti…but it does seem like a formal possibility, and one that is relatively easy to rule out.
finding someone willing to inject MCT to look for breakdown products might be a little more difficult, but should probably be your next move.
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I’m going to go get some different MCT than the brand we’ve been using and try that as well. Although, the way the sunflower and grapeseed oil turned out, i’m wondering if you’re right. That or the sonicator is too powerful or something. I sonicated a gallon of water too and it did the same thing. 
try turning down the intensity of the sonicator, from my experience there is a fine line between it doing the work you need done and burning the shit out of it.
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Good point. We haven’t gone above 35% until recently when we’ve been trying different things to figure out what’s going on. The taste comes no matter the amplitude, unfortunately, and without enough amplitude behind it, MCT is too viscous to allow the sonicator horn to move freely enough to not trip the converter. This industry is full of catch 22’s.
i know exactly what you are saying, i am held to an NDA so i have to be careful at the moment but there are certain fairly natural things that can be added to the mct that will prevent the burnt taste from happening.