How to Extract CBD Oil
CBD has become incredibly popular over recent years and is now widely accepted and recognised by consumers all over the world. However, have you ever wondered where the CBD oil comes from and how it is extracted from the cannabis plant?
Cultivation and Harvesting
At the very start of the process our industrial hemp is sourced from USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) certified hemp farms. The plants are also grown from certified organic registered seeds. Plants also undergo state-mandated harvest testing for crop compliance verification of potency at an accredited testing laboratory.
After harvesting, the biomass is dried and stored in a climate controlled building. It is then ground into a uniform grain size suitable for extraction before being added to sacks and returned to climate controlled storage.
Crude Oil
Following cultivation and harvesting, we carry out the extraction on the ground biomass. This is usually carried out by CO2 super-critical extraction. The extract is then collected, weighed, and labelled. At this point it is important to remove many of the compounds found within the plant using a process called ‘winterisation’. This includes removing chlorophyll, fats, lipids, and plant waxes.
The crude oil now needs to undergo a filtering process and is tested at an accredited testing laboratory. The solution is subsequently processed through a bulk recovery instrument to remove any solvents and then concentrated. An extract is again sampled and analysed for purity and contaminants. Once the results are confirmed as ‘within specification’, the product is released and sent for distillation.
Distillation
Once cleared for processing, the CBD oil undergoes a preparatory distillation step which strips the oil of undesirable volatile components. The oil then undergoes chromatographic separation using our RotaChrom technology. Each compound is sorted by their unique chemical profiles, and we keep only the fractions that have high CBD and undetectable THC and CBN.
The CBD oil must now be removed from the solution used in the previous step. This is done by evaporating off any solvents used and completing a final polish of the oil prior to the final distillation. Once the CBD has been completely extracted, a secondary distillation and refinement is conducted.
The final step in this process is the addition of organic MCT oil (extracted from coconut) as our carrier oil. We choose to use MCT oil because it improves the bioavailability of CBD (the amount of CBD that enters the bloodstream) and it has a mild taste. Therefore, you can rest assured that our CBD products at Naturecan including CBD Oil, CBD Capsules, CBD Edibles, CBD Skincare and more never use any isolates or synthetic material. Only ever natural, plant-based CBD.
Why is our oil different?
This is mainly due to our RotaChrom technology which offers many benefits (insert link to RotaChrom page). Whilst other types of chromatographic separation are useful, such as HPLC and flash chromatography, they are just not scalable on an industrial level. This is mainly down to them being too expensive and time consuming. The efficiencies of centrifugal partition chromatography give us a great advantage in this sense.
Sustainability is one of the most important considerations for Naturecan and the production process of our oil is no exception. Other types of chromatography rely on the use of large quantities of solvents, which not only harm the environment but can also contaminate the distillate. Our RotaChrom technology recycles solvent repeatedly, minimising the environmental impact.
Finally, our 6 step testing process (insert link to testing process page) further differentiates our oil. From the initial farming to the finished product, our continuous quality control testing means that we can ensure the purity, quality and above all safety of our oil as well as the finished products.
