Temperature: Vaping THC vs Cooking THC... Experience & insights please???

[Brother Sweetleaf]

I'm currently preparing some canna-butter in a double-boiler, and the cooking-thermometer in the butter shows the temp to be between 188 and 193 degrees Fahrenheit, as is recommended in BadKat's recipe for Chocolate-Covered Peanut-Butter Canna-Bombs. (This is my first time using this recipe, my sixth time cooking with herb, & my first time cooking with a thermometer & a proper double-boiler... So although I'm Ol' School, I'm still a noob when wearing the Chef's hat.)

I'm very familiar with vaping, and understand that THC does not vaporize from the herb until 300.7[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]F (149.3[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]C), with CBD & CBN vaping from bud at about 403.3[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]F (206.3[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]C) & 414.9[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]F (212.7[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]C) respectively.

Now, I know that THC extraction via liquid fats is completely different from extraction via heated air, but I do have some confusion regarding those differences...

I guess I'm wondering how or why 180 - 200[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]F is sufficient enough to extract most of the cannabanoids from the herb when preparing canna-butter, whereas those temps are nearly half the temperatures required for "air extraction".

How can I be sure to maximize the potency of my butter with temperature regulation?

How do I know if & when THC would vape away from the butter or recipe? My concerns for losing THC in the air are minimal with this Peanut-Butter Canna-Bomb recipe, but I often wonder how much THC is lost when cooking brownies or anything over the vaping temperature of THC (300[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]F).

Theories & discussions are welcomed, but I'm really hoping to hear some actual proven facts as well as some experiential wisdom regarding this.

Thanks!

 

[MidwesternGro]

I guess I'm wondering how or why 180 - 200[FONT=&amp]°[/FONT]F is sufficient enough to extract most of the cannabanoids from the herb when preparing canna-butter, whereas those temps are nearly half the temperatures required for "air extraction".

cannabanoids are fat soluble, which means that they are able to create a solution with oils and fats like butter. This means that you need less energy (heat) in order to extract the cannabanoids because they are nonpolar (no molecular charge) like the oil or fat. Water and glucose are the opposite because both water and glucose have ends that are oppositely charged, therefore, glucose (sugar) dissolves readily in water.

 

[technical dan]

When you vape you are heating it thc, cbd, ect. until it vaporizes going from solid to gas. That change of the physical state of the thc takes a lot of energy so higher temps.

In cooking you are heating it to speed up chemical reactions. The reactions take place at lower temps too but, slowly. You ate decarboxilating the thcacid into thc by removing part of the molecule ( decarb also happens when smoking/ vaping). You are also binding the new thc to fats/ lipids to give a higher bioavailblity in human digestion.

It takes more energy to excite the thc molecules to go from a solid to gas state than it does to mess with the molecule when cooking.

 

[Brother Sweetleaf]

Great, thanks for the answers... So then it requires more energy (heat) to vaporize the cannabanoids from the bud than it does to extract them off with fats...

Anyone have any insights regarding THC "disppearing" from foods cooked with higher temperatures? For example, THC vapes at 300.7°F (149.3°C), so then does THC "escape" the recipe while cooking above that temp? (e.g. Brownies cook between 375 - 425°F) And if THC loss is inevitable when preparing foods above 300°F, then what can we do to reduce that loss?

 

[MidwesternGro]

Anyone have any insights regarding THC "disppearing" from foods cooked with higher temperatures? For example, THC vapes at 300.7°F (149.3°C), so then does THC "escape" the recipe while cooking above that temp? (e.g. Brownies cook between 375 - 425°F) And if THC loss is inevitable when preparing foods above 300°F, then what can we do to reduce that loss?

Much like gas is trapped in batter during cooking - which makes brownies fluffy - from yeast or baking soda that is heated up, I would imagine that a fair amount of the THC would stay trapped within the brownie even if it is vaporized. To reduce the loss I would use a brownie recipe that creates fluffy brownies. You will probably only lose THC that is near the surface of the brownies, so using a pan that has less surface area - make thicker brownies, in other words - would decrease THC sublimation into the environs; however, this would probably not be noticeable to most people.

 

[Brother Sweetleaf]

Much like gas is trapped in batter during cooking - which makes brownies fluffy - from yeast or baking soda that is heated up, I would imagine that a fair amount of the THC would stay trapped within the brownie even if it is vaporized. To reduce the loss I would use a brownie recipe that creates fluffy brownies. You will probably only lose THC that is near the surface of the brownies, so using a pan that has less surface area - make thicker brownies, in other words - would decrease THC sublimation into the environs; however, this would probably not be noticeable to most people.

Wow! Thanks for posting such excellent info, and a great theory!

Speaking of the concept of THC cooking-off from the recipe during baking, I've discovered that Mary Jane's Herbal Infused Brownies appear to address this very issue by using "a mix of powdered oils that function to fully capture all active ingredients in the herbal oil. The powdered oils bind with your herbal oil and instead of baking off are reabsorbed back into the mix, resulting in a stronger herbal brownie. This is the first brownie mix developed specifically for herbal brownies."

Just Google "maryjane mix", or go to the website of the same name.

 

[Johnny Vapor]

bump........need to read this when I have a little more time.

 

[homer371]

hey brother sweetleaf, i think the difference in temperatures has to do with the temperature at which decarboxylation takes place (which depends on factors like time, but roughly in the 200-250 F range) and the temperature at which thc boils or evaporates (closer to the 300 F range). i'm not 100% sure on the numbers here, but the general idea is there. peace

 

[qwizoking]

This thread gave me a chuckle