When it comes to terpenes, you only want the best for your products. Unfortunately, not all terpenes are created equal. Keep reading and learn why terpene purity is one of our top priorities.  

Ah, terpenes. Those beautiful little hydrocarbons. We love them, you love them, and your customers love when you add them to products. The truth is, when used properly, your customers don’t know terpenes are there. They just know they love the way your products taste, smell, and/or feel. Unfortunately, not all terpenes are created equal.

When you use terpenes of low-quality, you could be using an ingredient with poor consistency, that’s derived from unclean sources, and that may have undesirable flavor/aroma notes. That’s a problem, and you definitely don’t want that in your products. Read on to discover how we make terpene purity one of our top priorities.

Not All Terpenes Are Created Equal

We understand that your time is valuable. Here’s the short version of what we’ll be covering today.

• High-quality terpenes require high-quality ingredients. That means sourcing organic botanicals from all over the world.
• Some distillation methods create purer terpene isolates than others. Molecular distillation allows for the purest terpenes possible without the use of solvents or fillers.
• Constant quality assurance is necessary to ensure consistent terpene purity. Always look for a COA and review any quality assurance practices. 

High-Quality Terpenes Come From Organic Botanicals

We make terpenes for several different industries. That includes everything from food & beverage, wellness, cannabis, and even the beauty industry. And one thing all of those industries value, is the quality of their ingredients. A big part of that means ensuring the cleanest sources possible for all ingredients--including terpenes. 

That’s why when we say our products are organic-compliant, we mean it. Once our research has discovered an interesting terpene profile or isolate, we scour the world for pure, non-GMO compliant sources. Sometimes that means sourcing ingredients from all around the planet, but the quality just can’t be beat. 

High-Quality Terpenes Require Specific Distillation Methods

This is what we’re passionate about, so we work directly with equipment and instrument manufacturers to ensure the equipment we use, and the tasks we use them for, will allow us to distill the highest quality terpenes. For us, that means using molecular distillation. The reason we prefer to use this method is because it allows us to purify terpenes of targeted oils, aromatic compounds, and impurities. 

There’s a long list of pros and cons associated with previous distillation methods. Some of these methods create too much heat, which effectively destroys terpenes. Other methods just don’t remove enough from the additional plant matter. Basically, they just don’t do as good of a job as molecular distillation. 

When a terpene is purified using this method, the original botanicals are refined into an essential oil. This is then heated to vaporize certain compounds, then the vapor rises and enters a condenser where it’s cooled and re-liquified in yet another chamber. This distillation method helps remove more volatile compounds first, and less volatile ones later. So, depending on their different boiling points, it allows us to thoroughly isolate compounds from one another.

This is what enables molecular distillation to create some of the purest terpene isolates on the market today. That means pure, filler-free, solvent-less terpene isolates.

High-Quality Terpenes are Solvent-Less and Free of Fillers

Using molecular distillation comes with an additional perk as well. Because this process relies on the heating and cooling of the natural oils in plant matter, no additional solvents are needed to complete this process. That means no petroleum, ethanol, pentane, or hexane.

They also don’t contain fillers. Oftentimes, terpenes of lower quality will use fillers like vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, coconut oil, or MCT (Medium-chain triglycerides). However, depending on the type of products you’re creating, these fillers can be problematic.

While all of these have versions that are food-grade or “generally recognized as safe” for consumption by the FDA, they each have some drawbacks. Propylene glycol is popular because it’s flavorless, but it also absorbs moisture which can be problematic for your product formulations. Vegetable glycerin has the same issue, but it also adds some sweetness which may or may not be what you’re looking for. Both have additional drawbacks when it comes to vape products. For example, neither of them mix well with terpenes since they generally lead to rapid separation.

If you’re creating food and beverage products and don’t want to add calories or sweeteners, using MCT, coconut oil, and even vegetable glycerin becomes a problem there as well. Basically, when a terpene has no added fillers you can use a lower dose and get a higher potency. We don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty perfect to us.

High-Quality Terpenes Are Checked for Quality Assurance

Before you ever purchase terpene ingredients for your products, it’s important to review any quality assurance practices. Hiccups happen, but a reliable terpene company is one that regularly checks for consistency and quality to catch any issues before they get to you. 

To comply with our ISO9001:2015 certification, we analyze all ingredients to make sure they meet our strict quality and purity standards. If a terpene doesn’t make the cut, we distill it further and then analyze it using Gas Chromatography until it meets our standards. 

Another sign of a reliable terpene manufacturer is the ease with which you can access any Certificate of Analysis. This should verify that your products are free of residual solvents, pesticides, and heavy metals. We’re proud of our products, so our isolates and blends include the COA for every batch. 

High Quality Terpene Blends Have Complex Terpene Profiles

Creating unique flavors and aromas from terpene isolates is one of the best ways to create something no one else has. However, sometimes customers want flavors they’re already familiar with. Whether it’s the nostalgic flavor of Mint Chip Ice Cream or a multifaceted cannabis strain like Fire OG, they want to experience the real deal. That means using realistic, complex terpene profiles. 

To provide that experience, you need to use realistic, complex terpene profiles that excite customers. It’s the difference between someone saying, “this tastes like blueberries” and “this has the best blueberry flavor!” Obviously, you want the latter. 

The easiest way to ensure your terpene blends are complex, is to get your eyes on its terpene chart. This graphic will show you the different terpene isolates used to create the blend. For example, let’s take a look at the terpene chart for Fire OG.

The plant this blend is based off of already has an aromatically complex heritage. This cross between OG Kush and SFV OG, is notorious for its aroma that’s somehow woodsy, citrusy, and musky all at once. There’s just no way to pay homage to this sophisticated plant with a terpene profile that’s anything less than perfect. It’s the kind of thing that turns a one-time customer into a lifetime customer. 

Not All Terpenes Are Created Equal

We love what we do, which is why we’re constantly raising the bar on terpene science and terpene purity standards. We’re leaders in the research, development, and production of botanically-derived and cannabis-inspired terpenes. For us, creating terpenes that aren’t of the highest quality just isn’t an option.

If you have questions about our purity standards, methods, or if you’re ready to move forward with a unique product formulation, contact us today.