Hey all! I am currently developing our SOP for FECO at the facility, normally I use Ethanol for this process but the additional equipment needed to extract and remove at a larger scale is not feasible with our foot print. We have a closed loop so I am going to go wit N-Butane extraction and process it at -20c instead of the normal -80c to capture more of the desired components for the medicine. Does this sound like the best way to go about doing this? I am fearful to just use ethanol extraction without a rotovap and the need for higher temperatures to remove the solvent, I will be losing lighter terpenes which will effect the quality of the medicine. What temps are best to extract for FECO at with N-butane and what does everyone feel the benefits or down sides of butane vs ethanol? Appreciate ya’ll
Just to be clear you don’t have the foot print for a centrifuge and a falling film and or rotovap? Should be very similar to a closed loop with all ancillaries. Ethanol will provide far cheaper and greater throughput. A single operator could easily run several hundred pounds of biomass through a centrifuge per day.
I understand FECO to be “full spectrum” extract which i suppose means you want the full profile of the plant, fats, waxes, terpenes, sugars, chlorophyll etc… A room temp ethanol extraction would certainly provide all the above. Ethanol generally is a far cheaper entry point as well for scale production, unless you opt for a falling film but that all depends on scale, Rotos are fairly cheap and abundant.
If your only route is hydrocarbon, I’d stay much closer to the -20c mark then -80c for extraction, -80 is very slow moving and also much more selective solubility will be happening. If you don’t want less lipids -60c will be plenty cold.
If you want to pick our brains I can loop in my coworker Avery over in R&D, he has helped us set up multiple extraction labs with clients, both hydrocarbon and ethanol. We don’t charge anything for consultation
Isn’t FECO decarbed so it can be orally active? Are you planning on decarbing the flower before extracting or the oil after it has been extracted?
I would like to mitigate the chlorophyl. My experience in treating patients in the traditional market with FECO is based on doing dry ice chilled ethanol extractions. The chlorophyl bothers some peoples stomachs. I feel removing the waxes and fats also makes it easier to add to drinks and foods while cleaning up the “weed” taste for those that are sensitive to it.
Post extraction, this will also remove any residual solvent left behind to get it to a safe consumable state.
So we currently have a full extraction lab with c1d1, ovens, cryo and are processing 200k + of fresh frozen per week. I have all my feco experience using 200 proof ethanol chilled with dry ice at home, I use the ETOH Pro to remove the bulk solvent and the rest through the decarb process. I am wanting to use the butane since its removes at a lower temp and can mitigate the undesirables when it comes to taste and clarity. I just do not have experience running at lower temps and the benefits of it when it comes to a product like this
Definitely use butane for fresh frozen instead of ethanol
Have you tasted many BHO’s/decarbed BHO’s?
not saying you’re wrong, but you might want to do the taste test of QWET vs BHO.
if we’re talking FECO, my question becomes: “so what’s the actual magic you’re after here?”.
does FECO have to taste like shit in order to work? For who? For what? I dunno…just figured it was worth asking yourself.
going to be dry material
Id like people to be able to cook with it and not have a green tasting food item
What do “green” and “QWET” have to do with each other?
I suggested a taste test MIGHT be in order.
You confirmed you’ve not done one…
you want to make an inexpensive, fully decarbed product, using hydrocarbon solvents. Cool.
You’re NOT making “FECO”. It’s a fucking horrible name for a product. Why insist that you are?
Consumer recognition?!?
Call it DOOKIE (Decarbed Oil Of Kush In Extractor).
I really do not appreciate the negativity, I have done a taste test with similar products on the market made with n-butane and the taste was just as good as ethanol extracted FECO (full extract cannabis oil). I would greatly appreciate if you did not use foul language as it brings negativity into this community which is not appreciated. I am simply looking to open a productive discussion about creating a medicinal product with restricted equipment and asking for any information about the topic from other experienced extractors. Lets keep it positive!
Get a thicker skin sugar.
Do you know what a qwet is?
You’ve tasted OTHER people’s “feco”?!?
You’re not marketing other people’s extracts…nor are you suggesting making FECO.
I’m positive you’re not making feco.
In my opinion the medicinal value of so called full spectrum products is pretty much entirely dependent on anecdotal evidence and virtually no one in the cannabis industry has the skills or funding to prove the efficacy of a real multi-drug therapy. If you have patients/customers that believe that a minimally processed, orally active black oil is doing something good for them then you will definitely be able to produce a sellable product using hydrocarbons but I’m guessing there is very little data on the exact composition of the oil from either method and how that specifically enhances the medicinal value of the oil. I would love to be proven wrong if anyone does have good data to share.
Me too!!
My sentiment was: this kinda seems like a marketing question.
if I was at cannabis store and the ethanol FECO and decarbed live resin were the same price.
Which one do I think would taste better and be more likely to purchase?
Assuming I am not allowed to look at them.
I plan to make the FECO product much cheaper