Extraction how much lecithin

[VitaMan]

I'm curious though how you do use it

I just use coconut oil, and smaller batches (7-10grams/cup). I have a notion that I can capture more of the entourage.

My current process for oil is:

• Decarb 2/3 of the flower. *The other 1/3 brings in the cannabinoid acid forms and terpenes*
• Melt coconut oil and thoroughly WHISK lecithin in. I have dry lecithin, but I recommend liquid. I also add a b-vitamin.
• Place herb (s) in vacuum bag and add liquid oil/lecithin mixture. Stir well.
• Remove air from bag and seal it.
• Suspend bag in sous vide At 95 celcius and cook for at least 3 hours (I just keep it running for the day or evening)
• Occasionally remove the bag and mix it up by squeezing the bag of herb/oil mixture Use oven mitts, this mixture is near boiling temp
• Pour through filter. I recently read about using 3m dust masks instead of filter-paper, but I haven't tried this yet.
• Place remaining herb in a potato ricer and squeeze remaining oil out of it
• Refrigerate or freeze once cool. I like to freeze in small portions for convenient use. This is handy for that:

Hope you found some of this helpful!

 

[JaPinkman]

I just use coconut oil, and smaller batches (7-10grams/cup). I have a notion that I can capture more of the entourage.

My current process for oil is:

• Decarb 2/3 of the flower. *The other 1/3 brings in the cannabinoid acid forms and terpenes*
• Melt coconut oil and thoroughly WHISK lecithin in. I have dry lecithin, but I recommend liquid. I also add a b-vitamin.
• Place herb (s) in vacuum bag and add liquid oil/lecithin mixture. Stir well.
• Remove air from bag and seal it.
• Suspend bag in sous vide At 95 celcius and cook for at least 3 hours (I just keep it running for the day or evening)
• Occasionally remove the bag and mix it up by squeezing the bag of herb/oil mixture Use oven mitts, this mixture is near boiling temp
• Pour through filter. I recently read about using 3m dust masks instead of filter-paper, but I haven't tried this yet.
• Place remaining herb in a potato ricer and squeeze remaining oil out of it
• Refrigerate or freeze once cool. I like to freeze in small portions for convenient use. This is handy for that:

View attachment 1201116


Hope you found some of this helpful!

Thanks, that's great. I'll try it that way. ..... without any water in the picture. I've discovered the same thing that the homemade eddies give a much better entourage effect. They last a lot longer which helps me with sleep.So, do you not decarb that 1/3rd? I guess it would be mostly decarbed during the infusion anyway ??

 

[VitaMan]

.So, do you not decarb that 1/3rd? I guess it would be mostly decarbed during the infusion anyway ??

Right. 1/3 is left out of the decarb step. I also usualy do this when I make tincture. This way I get the THCA, CBDA, and most of the terps intact. There is plenty of evidence that these compounds also have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. And besides, unlike some people, I kind of like the cannabis flavor in oils and tinctures.

Honestly, I don't know if/how much decarbing occurs in the oil infusion process. Not much, for sure. Lots of knowledgeable people here and elsewhere say it doesn't happen at all but I have seen a patent for a process that chemically decarbs during infusion with precision results, but it starts with ethyl extraction, additives, and eventual evaporation into the oil at specific temperatures.

The process above uses Sous Vide for decarbing as well as infusion, but it is still a separate step.

I was toying with getting a LIFT and a Magical Butter machine, that would have cost $500 loonies. I already had a vacuum sealer, so for $120 I got a sous vide which does the job of both and is great for cooking too.

BBQ season is almost upon us....

 

[Burnt_Supper]

I wanted to use it for all of the same reasons, I just didn't think it through. I'm curious though how you do use it.?
My previous batch was a 1/2 ghee 1/2 coconut oil infusion with no water. I was actually just using water to try and get more oil into the butter if that makes any sense. With just the butter/oil I can only cover one once of product with about one cup of oil. I wanted to try and get more oil into the butter by using water to help cover it. It actually did work the second time but the batch was contaminated some with traces of that Lecithin from the previous batch.

I think any water during extraction makes my oil taste terrible. I would just use more oil. I use expeller pressed unrefined virgin coconut oil. Cheapest I’ve found is at Walmart. Shits expensive, but I swear it almost has a creaminess to the flavor when done. I do gummies, I don’t add the lecithin until I’m making a batch. But if I wanted it in there earlier I would wisk it in after filtering and then filter again. I bought a stainless steel filter for cold brew tea and I think that helps with yield as well. I press it out with a spoon, leaves a touch of particulate but it sinks. I just discard the last tablespoon. The oil alone is delicious and I have no problem taking a spoon and eating it. It’s also really good in coffee. I’d imagine the liquid lecithin works better than powder. I use Sunflower Lecithin powder. I have read some negative things about soy bean lecithin. I have used egg yolks in my gummies for lecithin as well and it turned out great.

 

[VitaMan]

Isn't it just an emulsifier to attach THC to the fat molecules.

Emulsifying means combining oil and water. Emulsifiers are compounds that can do that, hence their use in cooking. The beauty of lecithin is that it also helps your body to absorb the good stuff. Plus it gives us choline, an important brain nutrient.

The cannabinoids that you want are already fat soluble, so an emulsifier isn't needed to infuse them if your aim is to get high. You can add it later for enhanced effects.

I suspect lecithin might help with extracting some of the other phyto-nutrients from cannabis, though I have no empirical proof that it does. So I include it before I infuse because I would add it later anyways.

Know anyone with a lab who needs a research project?

edit: additional lecithin might be needed when baking.

 

[JaPinkman]

I think any water during extraction makes my oil taste terrible. I would just use more oil. I use expeller pressed unrefined virgin coconut oil. Cheapest I’ve found is at Walmart. Shits expensive, but I swear it almost has a creaminess to the flavor when done. I do gummies, I don’t add the lecithin until I’m making a batch. But if I wanted it in there earlier I would wisk it in after filtering and then filter again. I bought a stainless steel filter for cold brew tea and I think that helps with yield as well. I press it out with a spoon, leaves a touch of particulate but it sinks. I just discard the last tablespoon. The oil alone is delicious and I have no problem taking a spoon and eating it. It’s also really good in coffee. I’d imagine the liquid lecithin works better than powder. I use Sunflower Lecithin powder. I have read some negative things about soy bean lecithin. I have used egg yolks in my gummies for lecithin as well and it turned out great.

That's really interesting because folks are always saying that water removes chlorophyll and other water solubles, making the butter taste better. Both times I tried this I got the most awful tasting butter also. I thought that the taste and smell was the lecithin.

 

[Burnt_Supper]

That's really interesting because folks are always saying that water removes chlorophyll and other water solubles, making the butter taste better. Both times I tried this I got the most awful tasting butter also. I thought that the taste and smell was the lecithin.

If you have really foul tasting oil, you can “wash” it. Basically mix warm water with warm oil. Throw it in the blender, then to the fridge. The water will grab some impurities. Improves taste a bit. If the lecithin was already mixed in it seems like it would hinder the “wash”. I think when you extract using only water and oil, the water pulls out some nasty flavors. I’ve thrown away a lot of batches. Made a lot of bad oil. Tried to fix a lot. Everything I know about process, I’ve tried. My gummies have no weed flavor, none. I wish I knew more about what everyone is using. The lecithin I use is flavor less, and the buzz difference is night and day. My biggest advice would be to add the lecithin after extraction. Once the water, oil, lecithin meet you can’t go back.

 

[Simplicio]

If you have really foul tasting oil, you can “wash” it. Basically mix warm water with warm oil. Throw it in the blender, then to the fridge. The water will grab some impurities. Improves taste a bit. If the lecithin was already mixed in it seems like it would hinder the “wash”. I think when you extract using only water and oil, the water pulls out some nasty flavors. I’ve thrown away a lot of batches. Made a lot of bad oil. Tried to fix a lot. Everything I know about process, I’ve tried. My gummies have no weed flavor, none. I wish I knew more about what everyone is using. The lecithin I use is flavor less, and the buzz difference is night and day. My biggest advice would be to add the lecithin after extraction. Once the water, oil, lecithin meet you can’t go back.

Careful.
I tried a water cure of decarbed flower, and the quality of the resulting edibles was noticeably reduced.
Water apparently does dissolve some cannabinoids (maybe even unknown ones) in small amounts.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

Lecithin helps the cannabinoids cross the blood brain barrier and metabolize in the liver better.

 

[Burnt_Supper]

Careful.
I tried a water cure of decarbed flower, and the quality of the resulting edibles was noticeably reduced.
Water apparently does dissolve some cannabinoids (maybe even unknown ones) in small amounts.

I talk about my current method in other posts. Just sharing my experience. If someone’s debating “washing” their oil their best bet is to throw what they have away and start over. However it does improve the taste of poorly made oil. By the sounds of it though, to some detriment to potency.