Is mouldy weed safe to process?
After producers make it through the growing stage, they're still not quite out of the woods yet, and the same is true even once they’ve processed the raw plant materials. The risk of mould and microbials remains, as improperly stored and handled cannabis extracts are just as susceptible to contamination. To avoid this devastating outcome, many producers take steps to reduce that risk as much as possible.
Kill steps
The process of making cannabis extracts includes numerous stages that work together to eliminate mould and other contaminants, and it often begins with irradiation which is used on the raw flower before a solvent is added to the equation to extract the compounds. Most research suggests that this doesn’t adversely impact cannabinoid content. However, it might result in some damage to terpenes.
The second step uses a solvent to extract the cannabis compounds and some of the most popular choices for this process like Ethanol or CO2 will work to kill mould spores and microbials. Winterization is another effective kill step that uses supercooling to eliminate contaminants, as is the process of making distillate due to the high temperatures that are used to create the resin.
Reducing moisture exposure
Though steps are taken to kill mould and bacteria growth on flower before it is processed into extracts, remaining chemicals and microbials must be destroyed by removing any excess water from the products. The winterization process also gets rid of unnecessary lipids and fats that are in oil, as they may harbor the building blocks for future mould growth.
Airtight storage
All materials throughout the process of turning mouldy weed into extract should be stored in airtight containers that are the appropriate size, and they should be kept separate from the space that is used for extraction. Proper environmental factors such as airflow and low temperatures are also maintained to contribute to an overall sterile environment.
Testing prior to and after extraction
In the legal industry, mouldy weed can be processed into extracts as long as the end result is a product that meets current health and safety standards. To ensure this happens, most producers will test cannabis materials before and after extraction, as this provides a guarantee that the product is safe for consumption.
It may be safe, but it’s not ideal
Mould is a fact of life in the world of cannabis, but with the right growing practices, it can be largely avoided by large-scale producers. Unfortunately, some of the plant materials that are used in the making of cannabis extracts do have some type of contaminant, and though as far as we can tell, this is a relatively safe practice thanks to the numerous steps we take to ensure hazardous elements are dead and gone before these products make it to stores, there is still a lot we don’t know, and for that reason, it’s certainly not a preferred way of doing things.
Mouldy weed has never, nor will it ever be an appealing choice for either producers or consumers.
