Dewaxing and Winterizing: How Concentrates are Made, and Why it Matters

With the 2018 legalization of cannabis in Canada came dry flower cannabis and oils, but for many long-term consumers, the real excitement that came from legalization exists around the future potential for extracts and concentrates.

The opportunity to create pure and clean cannabis concentrates, legally, using the very best technology and equipment, is something that every black, grey and legal-market producer would salivate over, and is one way the legal market can genuinely compete against black-market products.

To achieve a heightened level of clean and pure concentrate production, many processors are removing the undesired plant lipids and waxes from their final products (due primarily to their ability to alter the chemical make-up of the concentrate over time). When waxes or lipids are exposed to different elements (temperature, open air, light) it can result in a cloudier appearance.

Removal of these ingredients allows for unadulterated flavour and cleanliness.

The most popular way to achieve this is via two trusted, but completely different, processes: winterizing and dewaxing.

Both processes have their pros and cons. We review both below:

Winterizing 

Winterizing utilizes ethanol or grain alcohol (polar solvents) to extract waxes and fats from the cannabis plant.

Simply put: this process dissolves hash oil into a polar solvent at below-zero temperatures; forcing the waxes and lipids to separate from the oil and collect at the top where they can be easily extracted.

This process doesn’t require a lot of technical skills, in fact, even first-timers can experience success – as a result, winterizing is more common than de-waxing. It’s as easy as mixing ethanol and hash oil in a Mason jar and then putting it in the freezer.

De-waxing

De-waxing is a little more complicated than winterizing.

Essentially, a single solvent like butane is blasted over plant material and collected within a column, moving what’s extracted onto another column to be de-waxed. The mixture is cooled to extreme temperatures which makes the waxes and lipids unable to dissolve, and forces them to separate.

Next, the mixture passes through a series of micron screens, which filter out the undesired waxes and lipids, producing a cleaner final product. Just like winterizing, the concentrate must be kept in sub-zero temperatures to allow the lipid material to separate from the concentrate.

Achieving and maintaining the right temperatures is crucial. Failure to reach the correct temperatures could affect the ability for the lipids to separate, and if the temperatures aren’t low enough you could lose/waste some of the cannabinoids throughout the process.

Finally, the concentrates are introduced to a passive vacuum system that sucks the unwanted particles up to the top. At this stage, butane can be quickly removed (to separate the unwanted layers from the rest of the concentrates) without the need for evaporation.

De-waxing is a little more complex and a little less efficient, but this process, done right, ensures  that the terpenes, colour and flavour of the end product is not affected.

Why do we Remove Waxes and Lipids?

Simply put, waxes and lipids can negatively influence the colour, flavour and overall smoothness of the concentrate. When dabs are consumed, a high temperature is required to vaporize the product. The waxes and lipids vaporize/melt at much higher temperatures which can lead to less-than-ideal flavours and excess residue. Worse, these ingredients are harsh to consume and can irritate your throat.

Ultimately, removing these impurities will leave you with a much more tasty and consistent product you can appreciate for its purity and taste.

Which Method is Better?

Both de-waxing and winterizing have their ups and downs. For example, de-waxing generally impacts final yield more severely than winterization, while winterization typically impacts flavour and terpenes a bit more than de-waxing.

Ultimately, it all comes down to the needs and constraints of the extraction company. One thing is for certain though, removing waxes and lipids from concentrate is a must for clean, pure products and we’re excited to see how the technology continues to progress!

Want to learn more about extracting concentrates? Check out this blog on Cannabis Concentrates.