Freeze drying, invented in Paris in 1906, is a very gentle dehydration process used to preserve high quality foods. During WWII, the process was implemented to preserve blood serum. Since then, freeze drying has become a critical process for preserving foods, pharmaceuticals, and a wide range of other products–even cannabis. Cannabis growers are turning to freeze dryers to help them process their crops because dried cannabis flowers are most popular form for purchase and consumers want to see fresh-looking buds.
- Dec 10, 2018 Freeze-drying cannabis has been around for a while and it’s becoming increasingly popular for small- and large-scale growers. Salt Lake City’s Harvest Right has freeze-drying units that shorten the.
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Freeze drying is an unorthodox but effective way of curing cannabis. It bears little semblance to the traditional ways of drying and curing buds, yet it gives you the same, if not better, results. While freeze-drying is not new, it was only in recent years it was introduced as a game-changing process that cuts off your time by weeks. FREEZE DRIED CANNABIS When you hang dry a cannabis plant for 18 - 30 days to dry, the enzymes that cause plant senescence deteriorate as they act on the chlorophyll. This is why it takes so long to get rid of the 'green' or grassy taste.
Basic Science and Benefits
Lyophilization is the technical term for freeze-drying. Freeze-drying occurs when the solvent (usually water) and/or suspension medium is crystallized at low temperature and removed by sublimation (the direct transition from a solid state to gaseous state without melting).
Three Stages of Freeze Drying
There are three stages in the process: freezing, sublimation drying, and desorption drying. The freezing phase is the most important part of the freeze-drying process. Rapid freezing is critical and helps eliminate the formation of large ice crystals, which deteriorate the final product quality. During the drying phase, a high vacuum reduces pressure, and heat provides energy needed for the ice to sublime. This initial drying phase removes about 95% of the water present. This slow step can take anywhere from several hours to two days. Too much heat during this phase could damage final product quality.
- Deep-freeze: This brings cannabis buds down to – 40°F or below. The colder you can get your product, the fresher.
- Sublimation: This part of the process turns solid ice straight to water vapor, skipping the liquid phase. A vacuum pump then kicks in, sucking out the water vapor.
- Final dry: Now the product is returned to room temp (70-80°F), taking the last bit of water content out of the buds.
Freeze-dried products typically contain between 1% and 4% moisture. These products can be stored between 6 months and 3 years in polybags and 25 years or longer in cans.
Freeze-Drying Cannabis Flowers
“When someone walks into a dispensary to look at flower, they want a bud that looks fresh,” says Rich DeLong. “No one wants to buy something that looks shrunken or desiccated.”
Rich DeLong is the founder and operator of Botanique Preservation Equipment, he has spent nearly three decades producing freeze-drying equipment that allows florists and other botanical professionals to preserve their products. When approached in 2017 about the prospect of freeze-drying cannabis, he started the challenge with a small batch–which failed miserably.
Cannabis flowers are delicate, and the oils, minerals, and terpenes therein are extremely volatile. In the end, DeLong created a method for freeze-drying cannabis that maintained an oil and terpene content equivalent to that found in buds that had been left to hang-dry. Hang drying took 18 days, but the freeze-dried plants were preserved and ready for packaging in less than 24 hours.
Freeze-dried buds start out as fresh flowers. After placing the buds into an extremely cold chamber, sub-zero temperatures quickly freeze the flowers, transforming the water inside to ice crystals. Once those crystals have formed, operators drop the pressure inside the freeze-dryer, to create the vacuum necessary for sublimation drying. That sublimated water vapor is pulled by the vacuum into a colder condensation unit. All that remains is a freeze-dried flower that retains its taste, color, and shape.
“Freeze drying could revolutionize the way marijuana is packed and presented. Imagine a bud looking the same inside a package as it did coming off of the plant,” says Arnovick. “You remove the water, but keep the structure. There’s no mineral loss, no vitamin loss, no terpene loss—just a beautiful flower, ready to smoke,” said Travis Arnovick.
From Farm to Freezer
“A couple years ago, if you told someone you were going to freeze 100% of your crop, they’d tell you you were crazy. Now, we’re seeing 100% frozen harvests, and really large farms: 8,000-pound harvests. It’s totally taken over,” said Ben Grambergu at Grambergu Marketing in Northern California.
Consumers are driving the trend for frozen and freeze-dried plants. Farmers have responded by buying up industrial freezers—plus using dry ice in the fields—and are sending the frozen crops straight to extract labs, skipping the traditional hang-to-dry harvesting process. Freezing preserves terpenes that would otherwise be lost to weeks of drying and curing.
Harvest Right’s Freeze-Dry Process
Freeze-drying cannabis has been around for a while and it’s becoming increasingly popular for small- and large-scale growers. Salt Lake City’s Harvest Right’s Pharmaceutical units shorten the curing process to just 24-36 hours, and are affordable and aimed at both small- and large-scale growers, and even homegrowers. These units preserve buds and terpene profiles better than standard curing because they don’t use heat. Because of the quick cycle of the units and because the curing happens in a controlled environment, there’s a reduced risk of mold or mildew.
Pros and cons of freezing marijuana?
With each passing year more and more ways to utilize cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes are being discovered. But while the majority are fixated on the numerous benefits cannabis offers they overlook a crucial aspect that can never be overemphasized, the proper storage of marijuana. Cannabis is basically like any other plant and once harvested, if it's not stored properly it would be of no use to anyone. The art of properly storing cannabis is one most people have neglected for far too long and what most don't realize is that properly storing your cannabis is the key to long term success as a cannapreneur, and if you just want to enjoy the recreational benefits of the plant good storage techniques won't just save you a fortune but also enhance your experience and take it to a whole other level.
There are several effective techniques currently being employed in the cannabis world to maximize and lengthen the shelf life of harvested cannabis. Some techniques are better suited for flavor and quality while some are more effective in the maintenance of scent and other features like smell, taste, etc. And of all the storage methods currently available, the method I'll be talking about in here is the act of freezing marijuana. Below I'll drive through what it entails, the pros, cons and a brief summary of other storage procedures you can employ to keep your cannabis at peak condition.
A closer look at the storing of marijuana
The storage of marijuana is a delicate process, to get the best result, you have to maintain the right conditions of temperature, humidity, light, among others. The process of effectively storing cannabis is all about handling the basics, if you can effectively do this you'll find effectively storing cannabis to be a relatively straightforward process. The basics of cannabis storage that you should take note of include:
After cannabis is cured, to maintain it's quality low temperatures should be employed. Although the temperature shouldn't be too low as that could impair the plant's potency. Research suggests 50-60° to be the optimum temperature.
Cannabis loves the dark
Molds and powdery mildew tend to grow on the cannabis in conditions of 77°F or higher.
The temperature should be relatively cool as too high temperatures aren't good for the essential oils and texture of the plant.
59%-63% is believed to be the optimal level of humidity required.
Freezing of marijuana
Following the harvest of cannabis plants, drying and curing are carried out, and this usually takes about a month. Following the successful completion of this process, the cannabis is at the peak of its powers ready to be utilized. But in most cases, consumers have more weed than they can use so the only other option available is to store the weed and most people opt for the method of freezing.
The technique of freezing marijuana is carried out by carefully arranging cured buds into airtight containers and placing them in the freezer (the coldest areas). This method is relatively simple and straightforward and can be carried out by anyone. The principle behind this method is that the cold temperatures will preserve the growth of microbes on the plant and also prevent it from aging. And although this method has its advantages a lot of experts advise against it because of its downsides, but what exactly are these disadvantages? Read on to find out the pros and cons of freezing marijuana.
Pros of freezing marijuana
A couple of the pros of this method include:
It is cheap to practice
It doesn't require much technical training or expertise
It delays decarboxylation
It helps prolong the THC compounds in the plant.
It is believed to be the most efficient method of storing cannabis solely for making bubble hash.
Cons of freezing marijuana
It reduces the quality and efficiency of the trichomes in the plant (trichomes produce cannabinoids and terpenes).
Irregular freezing temperatures can cause rot of the cannabis buds either as a result of heat, humidity or fluctuating freezing temperatures.
Once weed becomes freezer-burned recovering the weed at premium quality is an impossible task.
If carried out ineffectively molds and other microbes could grow on the buds rendering them useless.
It renders trichomes brittle and rigid which makes the fall off due to the slightest of touch or contact.
Excessively low temperatures have also been linked with drastically lowering cannabis potency levels.
Taking the pros and cons of this method into consideration you can decide if it's a method you can employ or not. Most experts advise against it as there are other safe and easier methods that can be employed to store your cannabis buds and maintain their quality.
Alternatives to freezing marijuana
Based on successful works of research, the best and most effective way to store cannabis is in airtight jars kept in a cool and dark area. It's paramount that the jar is placed in a place that sunlight can't get to it because it has been shown that UV light causes cannabis degradation which impairs its quality. To get the best results from this technique, the humidity levels in the jar should be closely monitored with a hygrometer to make sure optimum conditions are maintained at all times. Glass jars that repel UV rays can also be used to improve the chances of success.
Freeze Drying Books
The majority of people make use of several other methods like refrigeration or storing in plastic containers and cardboard. But research has shown that these methods aren't good for preserving the quality of your cannabis buds. Plastic containers, unlike glass ones that have a neutral charge, have static charges on their surface and this attracts trichomes causing them to stick to the container surface which reduces the potency and overall quality of the cannabis over time.
Freeze Drying Buds
Bottom Line
Freeze Dryer
The importance of properly storing your cannabis cannot be stressed enough. With the right storage technique, you can maintain the quality and potency of your buds for at least 6 months. Store your buds in dark, frictionless, cool conditions and see it last a long time.
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