[SIZE=+1]
This is a controlled unique process unique to this invention[/SIZE]:
[0053] The process begins with the controlled decarboxylation of raw cannabis plant material, the plant material is dried at a temperature of 220° F. (104° C.) for 20 minutes.
[0054] Once the raw plant material has been dried it is "pulverized" into small pieces it is placed into a pan or container; for sake of this disclosure the term pulverized raw cannabis may refer to processes such as crushing, smashing, grinding, or equivalent process.
[0055] A specific amount of a cofactor, a consumable hydrocarbon such as Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), or Limonene and a mild polar solvent such as a high proof alcohol, preferably ethanol are mixed with the crushed plant material and heated, at an appropriate time a measured volume of edible oil such as hemp oil, or other compatible oil is added to the mixture. Note: alcohol infused vanilla extract may be used as an alcohol with flavor.
[0056] The mild polar solvent, preferably ethyl alcohol and water are then evaporated out of the mixture. At sea level alcohol evaporates at a temperature of 173° F. (78.33° C.), and water evaporates at a temperature of 212° F. (100° C.). As heated the mixture will first reach a temperature near 173° F. (78.33° C.) and dwell there until the alcohol is evaporated, the temperature of the mixture will then increase to near 212° F. (100° C.) and dwell there as water the water is evaporated out of the mixture. During this part of the process a specific amount of cofactor (Vitamin B6, Limonene, or other appropriate cofactor) causes the various acidic substances contained within raw cannabis plant material to be converted to medicinal cannabis.
[0057] The mild polar solvent wets the raw crushed cannabis and cofactor material allowing them to come into close proximity with each other, the amount of cofactor present controls the chemical activity. The amount of decarboxylation is proportional to the molar mass of cofactor used.
[0058] Reduce the amount of cofactor and less decarboxylation will occur in the reaction. Increase the amount of cofactor and more decarboxylation will occur in the reaction until all available THC acid, and other associated acidic compounds are converted into medicinal cannabis. Thus a controlled amount of THCA-A will be converted into Δ9-THC for a given amount of cofactor; adding more cofactor to the mixture will cause more of the THCA-A to be converted into Δ9-THC. The cofactor acts as a normalizing agent for the decarboxylation reaction; it controls the amount of Δ9-THC formed by the decarboxylation reaction. The preferred mild polar solvent is ethyl alcohol.
[0059] THCA-A content variations of 5% to 25% by volume are typical in raw cannabis and variations from 10% to 20% are common. A specific amount of cofactor combined with a specific amount of raw cannabis will cause a specific amount of THCA-A to be converted into Δ9-THC. This is true despite the percentage of THCA-A found originally in the raw cannabis material; given an input of 100 grams of raw cannabis the same amount of Δ9-THC will be formed by this decarboxylation process when 25% THCA-A cannabis is used or when 15% THCA-A cannabis is used; the amount of cofactor present limits or truncates the reaction. The amount of reaction is related to the molecular mass of the cofactor, even when additional THCA-A is available for reaction without additional cofactor the reaction will not transform all of the available THCA-A into Δ9-THC. In this instance some of the THCA-A contained within the raw cannabis will simply not be converted to Δ9-THC; the advantage of this approach is that the process will produce essentially the same output even when the THCA-A content of the raw cannabis material input into the process varies; later food production processes could proceed and yield repeatable results with little of no testing of Δ9-THC concentrations.
[0060] Other associated substances including yet not limited to cannabinoids, cannabiniols, and cannbidiols may also be transferred in this way.
[SIZE=+1]Example [/SIZE]1
[SIZE=+1]Part [/SIZE]1 The Controlled Decarboxylation of Raw Cannabis
[0061] Given 100 grams of raw cannabis, it is first dried at a temperature of 250° F. (121.11° C.) for 20 minutes. The dried raw cannabis is then pulverized into small pieces.
[0062] The pulverized raw cannabis is placed in a container and mixed with the cofactor Vitamin B6 and solvent ethyl alcohol. The amount of cofactor used depends on the amount of decarboxylation desired. Y, the amount of available THCA-A, depends upon the amount of raw cannabis and its potency (% THCA-A). X, the amount of cofactor required, depends on the THCA-A potency, the molar mass of cofactor (169.2 for vitamin B6) and the molar mass of Δ9-THC (358.47):
[SIZE=+1] Y[/SIZE]=(mass of raw cannabis*raw cannabis potency)
[SIZE=+1] X[/SIZE]=Y*(cofactor molar mass/Δ9-THC molar mass)
[0063] For example, 100 g of raw cannabis with potency of 20% THCA-A could provide up to 20 g of Δ9-THC by reacting with 9.4 g of cofactor B6.
[SIZE=+1] Y[/SIZE]=(100 g raw cannabis*20% raw cannabis THCA-A potency)=20 g THCA-A
[SIZE=+1] X[/SIZE]=(20 g THCA-A)*(169.2 B6 cofactor molar mass/358.47 THCA-A molar mass)=9.4 g of B6 cofactor
[0064] A 7 g mass of cofactor B6 would partially decarboxylate the THCA-A into 15 g of Δ9-THC. The 7 g of B6 cofactor limits the reaction and could decarboxylate only 75% of the available THCA-A.
[0065] Alternatively, the same 7 g mass of cofactor B6 could fully decarboxylate raw cannabis with a potency of 15%. In fact, the 7 g of cofactor B6, when reacted with 100 g raw cannabis having a potency of greater than 15%, will limit decarboxylation to exactly 15 g of Δ9-THC.
[0066] The mixture is then heated evaporating alcohol and water from the mixture, using the controlled process described above; evaporation takes about 10 minutes. An edible oil is added to the mixture the prior to continued heating of the mixture. The oil may be added prior to evaporation of alcohol an water from the mixture. The oil may also be pre-treated, heated to evaporate water from the oil sometime before being added to the mixture.
[0067] In the instance where enough cofactor to convert all, or most of the available THCA-A contained in the raw cannabis material into Δ9-THC the amount of Δ9-THC in the sample will be measured and noted after the decarboxylation reaction has occurred. Subsequent processes can be adjusted to produce more food product when a strong batch (higher percentage THCA-A) of raw cannabis is used and the amount of food product would be reduced when a weaker batch (lower percentage of THCA-A) of raw cannabis is used. The advantage of this approach is that more THCA-A will be converted into Δ9-THC per unit measure of input material, increased efficiency, yet comes with the cost of testing of the potency for each batch, and the adjustment of subsequent food production processes to yield a consistent concentration of Δ9-THC per unit measure in the foodstuffs produced.
[SIZE=+1] Bonding [/SIZE]Δ9-THC Δ9-THC and/or associated compounds to a lipid:
[0068] The mixture including an edible oil is then heated to a temperature near the boiling temperature of the Δ9-THC (314.6° F. at 1 atmosphere, 157° C.), yet below the vaporization temperature of the Δ9-THC. At 350° F. (176.67° C.) at 1 atmosphere Δ9-THC will vaporize and be lost in an open or ventilated environment.
[0069] Vegetable oils break down at various temperatures, for example; hemp seed oil begins to break down at 330° F. (165.56° C.), coconut oil at 350° F., and olive oil at 375° F.
[0070] The optimal temperature range for bonding the Δ9-THC and associated substances to hemp seed oil in an open environment is near the near the boiling temperature of the Δ9-THC; temperatures used may be adjusted to change the ratio of Δ9-THC to cannabinol or other cannabis related substances.
[0071] An essential concept is to heat cannabis related materials near their boiling point in the presence of an oil bonding the substances together. Controlling loss by vaporization and conversion into other cannabis related substances by controlling temperature is also an aspect of the invention.
[0072] The boiling of both the Δ9-THC in the hot oil provides an environment where the Δ9-THC and edible oil are free to associate; the substances chemically bond to each other readily in this environment; this process bonds the Δ9-THC to a lipid forming "Δ9-THC-lipid" in a controlled way, this is a unique aspect of the invention. The process not only incorporates Δ9-THC, it also incorporates associated substances, including, yet not limited to cannabinoids, cannabiniols, and cannbidiols in controlled ways.
[0073] Applicant notes that boiling points, and vaporization temperatures of materials used in this invention vary with ambient pressure and that specific temperatures referenced may vary upon ambient pressure; critical temperatures may therefore vary based on environmental pressures that can vary based on elevation, pressurized environments or even contaminants.
[SIZE=+1]Example [/SIZE]1
[SIZE=+1]Part [/SIZE]2: Forming a Δ9-THC-Lipid
[0074] Add 500 mL of hemp seed oil to the mixture and heat following the constraints described above for 15 minutes.
[0075] The material is then cooled to a temperature where it can be rendered into a fatty foodstuff base material. The material may be filtered or strained at this point in the process.
[0076] The controlled decarboxylation of raw cannabis is a unique aspect of this invention. Other unique aspects are the combinations of materials and temperatures used. No toxic substances are used in the best mode of this invention: preferred materials include raw cannabis, Vitamin B6, ethyl alcohol, and hemp seed oil; even so other similar materials and slight modifications to processes described above that are obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art are considered an embodiment of the invention described herein.
[0077] One instance of such a process is were a intermediate products is bonded to a lipid using some of the same steps described above; here the intermediate product is mixed with an oil, preferably hemp oil, and heated to a temperature above the boiling temperature of the Δ9-THC (314.6° F. or 157° C. at sea level), at or above the boiling temperature of the oil used in the mixture, yet below the vaporization temperature of the Δ9-THC (350° F. or 176.67° C. at sea level) and below the vaporization temperature of the oil. The mixture may then be added to a foodstuff. In this instance the purity and quantity of the medicinal intermediate product used will typically be known, testing and measuring the sample may be used as control mechanism. Alternatively the final product itself may be tested and measured to determine the medicinal content per unit volume of the product.
[0078] Medicinal foodstuff base materials consistent with this invention may be processed into other various final products through standard processes for making chocolate, suppositories, rubs, salves, or other final products as long as processing temperatures do not exceed the vaporization and boiling temperature of Δ9-THC. Chocolate chip cookies, for example may be made using chocolate chips made from medicinal foodstuff base materials and be baked into cookies in a oven operating at temperatures below the boiling temperature of medicinal cannabis, 315 degrees F. boiling temperature is preferred, these processes must be kept below the vaporization temperature of 350° F. (176.67° C.) at sea level.
[SIZE=+1]BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS[/SIZE]
[0079] FIG. 1 shows Basic Cannabinoid Structures: [0080] THCA-A (THC acid), Decarboxylation is the loss of CO2 from a molecular structure; when THCA-A decarboxylates the psychoactive substance Δ9-THC is formed; Δ9-THC is depicted in FIG. 1. [0081] CBN (cannabiniol) is also depicted; CBN is formed by degeneration of Δ9-THC. [0082] CBDA (cannabidiolic acid) and CBD (cannabidiol) are also depicted in FIG. 1. When CBDA is decarboxylated CBD is formed. [0083] Since CBD may be transformed into Δ9-THC, FIG. 1 also depicts that this Transformation relates to a small change in chemical structure. [0084] Notes regarding the chemical formula and molecular weight of depicted cannabinoid structures: [0085] CBD and Δ9-THC have the identical Chemical Formula C21 H30 O2; & Molecular Weight 314.5. [0086] CBDA has a Chemical Formula C22 H30 O4; Molecular Weight 358.5. [0087] CBN has a Chemical Formula C21 H26 O2; Molecular Weight 310.4.
[0088] FIG. 2: shows The Controlled Decarboxylation Process: [0089] FIG. 2 shows a series of steps of the controlled decarboxylation process. First raw cannabis is dried, the second step is to pulverize then the dry raw cannabis, the third step shown is to mix pulverized dried raw cannabis with cofactor and solvent. This third step decarboxylates the medicinal cannabis in a controlled way through a chemical reaction proportional to the amount of cofactor used. [0090] The fourth step in FIG. 2 is adding an oil (lipid in liquid state) to the mixture. In the fifth step, the mixture is heated while observing critical temperatures. The sixth step is evaporating the solvent (ethyl alcohol evaporates at 174 degrees F.). The seventh step evaporating any water from the mixture (water evaporates at 212 degrees F.). The eighth step bond medicinal cannabis to a lipid is where the mixture is heated near the boiling temperature of medicinal cannabis 314.6 degrees F. forming a Medicinal Cannabis Lipid. The ninth step is cooling the mixture. The tenth step straining out the particulates. The final step shown in FIG. 2 is placing the mixture in a container.
Body pH comes into play... and yeah that's really interesting to hear that you can use b vitamins to decarb thc-a into thc. But you still need fats and stuff for the molecule to bind to so it can be digested. Great idea tho!
