Why Co2 Extraction For Essential Oils
Preserving Beneficials:
The most delicate and rare plants deserve to be handled properly to unleash its full power
What CO2 Supercritical Cold Extraction Provides To The Essential Oils Industry.
1. Purity: CO2 extraction yields highly pure essential oils free from solvent residues or contaminants. This purity ensures that the flavor of the oil is not tainted by unwanted substances, providing a clean and authentic taste.
2. Selective Extraction: CO2 extraction can be finely tuned to target specific compounds in the plant material resulting in a more concentrated and intense flavor and aromas. This selectivity allows for the extraction of desired components while leaving behind unwanted substances, resulting in a purer and more potent essential oil.
3. Broader Spectrum of Compounds: CO2 extraction can extract a wider range of beneficial compounds like antioxidants, terpenes, and flavonoids compared to traditional methods such as steam distillation. This results in a more comprehensive, full-spectrum essential oil. We like to use the term “CO2 RAW”
4. Preservation of Aromatics & Flavor Compounds: Supercritical CO2 extraction operates at relatively low temperatures compared to other extraction methods, minimizing the risk of heat-induced degradation of delicate aromatic compounds. This gentle extraction process helps maintain the preservation of natural compounds responsible for the characteristic flavor profile of the source material, resulting in a more authentic and vibrant taste.
5. Preservation of Therapeutic Beneficials: CO2 extraction is perfect for capturing the therapeutic properties compared to steam distillation and other methods. CO2 extracted oils are also known to have higher levels of antioxidants and anti-aging compounds compared to distilled or cold-pressed versions. This allows CO2 oils to command premium pricing and has become much more sought after.
6. Molecular Stability and Integrity: The CO2 extraction process preserves the molecular structure increasing the stability of the extracted compounds. CO2 extracts are less prone to oxidation and degradation compared to traditional essential oils. This leads to a longer shelf life and better preservation of the extract's potency and purity over time.
7. Solvent-Free: Unlike traditional solvent-based extraction methods that may leave behind chemical residues, CO2 extraction is solvent-free. CO2 is used in its supercritical state, meaning it functions as both a gas and a liquid, and it leaves behind no solvent residue in the final product. This solvent-free process ensures that the flavor of the oil remains pure and untainted by chemical residues, making it a cleaner and safer natural choice for all applications.
8. Environmental Safety: CO2 is a naturally occurring and non-toxic substance, making it an environmentally friendly choice for extraction. We truly love that CO2 is non-flammable thus keeping everyone safe from harm. Additionally, since CO2 can be recycled and reused in the extraction process, there is minimal waste generation compared to other methods that rely on harsh chemicals or waste water dumping.
9. Customizable Parameters: The parameters of CO2 extraction, such as pressure, temperature, and flow rate, can be adjusted to optimize the extraction process for different plant materials and flavor profiles. This flexibility allows our producers to tailor the extraction conditions to achieve the desired intensity, complexity, and balance of strains / flavors in the final product even with the same starting plant material allowing multiple variations for r&d. This way we can achieve the desired quality and composition of the final essential oil we put to market.
10. Versatility: Since CO2 extraction can be fine-tuned to selectively extract specific compounds, making it suitable for high-value applications like pharmaceuticals and medical cannabis where precision is at the highest importance. This versatility comes at a higher cost.
11. Consistency and Reproducibility: CO2 extraction offers excellent consistency and reproducibility, ensuring that each batch of essential oil maintains the same high quality flavor profile and purity with the following SOPs we have in place. This consistency is crucial for both our extraction technicians and our consumers who rely on standardized products for therapeutic or cosmetic purposes as well as those who require standardized flavors for use in food, beverages, and other products.
All of this is extra important when it comes to cannabis / hemp as the plant is very complex having up to hundreds of known compounds that make up its unique profile.
Overall, CO2 supercritical extraction is favored for its ability to produce high-quality essential oils that retain their natural aroma, therapeutic properties, and purity. These CO2 essential oils are favored for their flavoring due to their purity, selectivity, preservation of aromatics, customizability, solvent-free nature, and consistency, making them an ideal choice for enhancing the taste and aroma of a wide range of culinary and beverage products & the preferred choice for many consumers in the essential oil world.
So in summary, while CO2 extraction produces superior quality essential oils, it comes at a higher price point compared to traditional methods like steam distillation and cold pressing, especially for smaller producers. The higher costs are due to the specialized equipment, energy-intensive process, and ability to extract specific compounds.