How is Hemp Oil Extracted?
How Hemp Oil is Extracted? Three Hemp Oil Extract Sources from Your Hemp Oil Extract Resource
There are many methods to extract oil from a hemp plant. As your hemp oil extract resource, we have taken the time to highlight the three most common approaches. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each to help guide your hemp oil purchasing decision.
CO2 Extraction
CO2 extraction is a traditional process widely used to decaffeinate coffee, teas, and even defat cacao. Recently this method has been repurposed to mass extract hemp oil, as well.
During this process, hemp components are loaded into a chamber along with liquid carbon dioxide. There, the pressure and heat from the carbon dioxide separate the essential oils from the hemp plant. As the carbon dioxide cools and evaporates the raw hemp oil remains.
Although CO2 extraction is the most common, it comes with a cost. Because this approach requires more time to process and because it is aggressive in nature, it can cause some damage to the cannabinoids and terpenoids in the extract.
Ethanol Extraction
One of the oldest cultivation methods is ethanol extraction. Throughout this process, the hemp plant is soaked in ethanol, a solvent that binds to the plant’s cannabinoids and terpenes. It is during the filtration process where the oils are separated from the other hemp compounds. Then, once the ethanol dissolves, the refined hemp oil is left behind.
Some favor this approach as neither heat nor pressurization is necessary to obtain the oil. Another advantage, the hemp oil product is chemically balanced; there are equal parts flavonoids and terpenes, a natural occurrence found in the hemp plant itself. Yet, that may be the only hemp plant property the ethanol extraction retains.
Because of ethanol’s limited bonding abilities, many valuable compounds, such as chlorophyll and phytonutrients, are stripped away. Consequently, the hemp oil’s taste, color, and potency are diminished.
Cold-Pressed
Cold-pressed extraction is a relatively new extraction approach. This modern-practice presses the hemp seeds, stalk, or leaves of the plant, gently squeezing out its oils. Often, this takes place in a cooler environment in efforts to retain the hemp plant’s natural properties, such as its nutrients, flavors, colors, and purity.
The cold-pressed extraction is gaining popularity due to its simplicity and ease in achieving a higher quality product. Since no harmful gasses, solvents, or heat is involved, the oil contains more vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients and there is less risk of contamination from chemicals or heavy metals.
To put it into perspective, all therapeutic qualities of the hemp plant are transferred into the oil while avoiding extreme manipulation or expensive engineering.
Consider the Source of Your Hemp Oil Extract
Before public consumption, many products undergo additional manipulation beyond initial extraction. As a result, these practices sacrifice the nutrition, potency, and overall quality of the oil.
Therefore, it is important to understand how the hemp oil is derived and also the company’s formulation approaches that follow.
Consider your hemp oil extract resource, Nesas Hemp Oil, where we use a patented variation of cold-pressed extraction and provide transparency and honesty regarding nature’s solution in its purest form.
Learn about our carefully formulated product and extraction method. Contact us today for more information.