Hello all! I was wondering if anyone had experience with decarbing thca isolate that tests 96%+ and is pure white? Does it always come out dark after being in the oven? I have tried a couple different quantities in 400ml mason jars (usually 100-200 grams). I have lids on the jars and will come burp them if pressure builds. I have a pretty low budget setup at the moment but have new vac ovens on the way. I have a mag stir rod in each jar and I will mix them several times during the process.
Once we add terps and load the isolate into cartridges it looks a lot better but in the jar it looks very dark. Would I need to put said isolate through a short path in order to get a lighter end product? The isolate is pure white, I washed it thoroughly with hydrocarbon to the point where terpene is ND.
I wonder if I create an atmosphere where oxygen isnt as present via either vac or Nitrogen replacement if it will come out lighter after decarb?
One other question I had is whats your favorite mixing method to ensure added terpenes are completely homogenized. One of my trial carts lost flavor halfway through and wondering if I homogenized it completely. Been using mag stir with as little heat as I can get away with.
Any ways this is my first post on here, mostly just been a reader the past few years so sorry if the format sucks.
exposing your isolate to heat + air before, during, or directly after decarbing will always darken your oil. it’s oxidation.
you need to decarb under vac or under positive pressure with an inert gas. after decarb is over, let it cool before exposing it to air. you want to get it as cool as possible while still being pourable before exposing it to air.
but keep in mind - THC is an amber oil… if you aren’t doing any color remediation during extraction, an amber oil is to be expected.
also - I’m almost certain you aren’t getting homogeneous with low heat and a stir bar.
Thank you! I have been trying to inform my employer how important the vac ovens are. I really needed them from the start. I had extracted this isolate at a different job where I had all the tools I could possibly need. Been challenging to try and decarb while preserving in a non vac oven. I will say when I take a couple grams out of the large batch it looks much better than when its all together. I will definitely use your advice going forward thank you much
If you can’t talk the boss into a vac oven, at least fill the headspace of you jar with nitrogen, and leave the lids loose enough to let pressure out as co2 evolves. Tighten the lids after decarb is done, before they cool, and you should keep most of the oxygen out.
This is exactly what I was doing! Although I imagine without a positively N2 pressurized environment for the jars to sit in while heating this doesnt do as much as id like! My ovens will be here next week really looking forward to that. I use to have an HPLC at my disposal as well as a reactor that I would love to use for this project. I pulled some isolate out of the oven the other day because it only had a few micro bubbles when shaken. still had almost 30% thca after being in the oven at 220-240 for around 6 hours and an additional 8 hours at 160-180f. These were only 100g batches in mason jars, about a 1-1.5 inch layer of melted isolate. I was sure it was 95% decarbed but nope! Cant wait for my reactor to get here