As consumer demand for rare cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) rises, ensuring ingredient stability and quality becomes increasingly important. At BayMedica, we understand the unique challenges posed by buying, handling, and storing THCV—especially its stability. The quality of your THCV product depends on how well you protect it from oxygen, light, and heat and how efficiently you incorporate it into your manufacturing processes.
The Importance of THCV Quality Control
Industry sales data shows the extent of spiking consumer demand for THCV, but before you begin working with this ingredient, you should understand a few nuances. Understanding THCV’s sensitivity to environmental factors will give you more control over the ingredient while in storage and a production environment. Following some key strategies ensures that the THCV you use retains its potency and effectiveness.
Strategies to Ensure THCV Product Quality
1. Oxidation and THCV: A Surface-Level Reaction Without Potency Impact
THCV has a unique initial response to exposure to air, which causes it to turn a deep purple color. Interestingly, our research shows that the dramatic color change is not correlated with a measurable loss in potency unless the THCV has been ground up, exponentially increasing the surface area.
Under controlled conditions, where THCV is protected from air and stored at room temperature, it retains a yellowish-amber color and a sticky, hard consistency. However, exposure to air causes a rapid color transformation—THCV turns purple or purple-brown, indicating a surface reaction. This color change is a visible sign of oxidation. The color change may be variable but does not necessarily impact the THCV potency and overall product quality. In the downloadable white paper, we investigate the THCV’s color change and possible potency loss.
Download the full THCV Color Change and Potency Research Whitepaper
To prevent oxidation that can result in a color change, we recommend taking the following steps:
- Ask about your supplier’s storage and shipping procedures. Ensure they store THCV in sealed, opaque containers and use nitrogen or argon (i.e., inert gases) purging during final packaging to minimize oxygen exposure during shipping.
- Ask your supplier if they have stability data to support the THCV material they are selling and if they can supply details on how it has been stored. The freshness of THCV can affect its quality, especially if it’s been exposed to poor storage conditions.
2. Proper Handling of THCV: Minimize Open Air
THCV is challenging to work with due to its sticky consistency. When handling THCV isolate, avoid grinding it in an oxygenated environment at all costs. Grinding increases the surface area, leading to rapid oxidation. If you handle THCV, try to either:
- Freeze it first, then break it into shards for easier handling. This especially works well if you are using an entire vessel of THCV or want to get all of the remaining THCV out of the vessel.
- Break THCV into larger chunks (instead of a fine powder) when working with THCV to limit surface exposure to oxygen. The less surface area, the less risk that measurable product degradation will occur.
- Integrate THCV into your formulation expediently so that it is coated/surrounded by other ingredients quickly, limiting surface exposure to oxygen and additional color changes.
- Avoid grinding THCV unless you are in a controlled, oxygen-free environment. OR, if freezing it and breaking it up doesn’t work with your manufacturing process:
- Gently heat THCV to approximately 65०C by placing the storage vessel into a water bath (this maintains a single surface layer).
- Pour the amount of THCV you need out of the vessel directly into your formulation.
By keeping the exposed surface area of THCV to a minimum, you can reduce the potential for color changes.
3. Reduce Exposure to Light and Heat
While oxygen is the primary concern, light and heat may also play critical roles in THCV color changes. As with most raw materials, exposure to light and heat can cause slow degradation over time. Be sure to store your THCV in a cool, dark environment to support maximum potency and stability.
To avoid these issues:
- Minimize light exposure by storing THCV in opaque containers.
- Keep THCV cool during transit and storage, and if possible, do not open the container until needed for use in production. If possible, store it in a freezer or refrigerator and avoid high-temperature environments when incorporating THCV into final products.
4. Utilize Antioxidants (With Caution)
Adding antioxidants to your THCV products can offer an additional layer of protection. However, be careful when choosing which antioxidants to use, particularly if you’re formulating for specific applications like vape products, where certain additives (e.g., vitamin E acetate) have been linked to safety concerns. Select antioxidants that are safe for your product’s route of administration and meet regulatory guidelines.
5. Locking THCV into a Product Medium
Once your THCV is incorporated into a stable product medium—such as a gummy, vape, or tincture—it is much less prone to degradation from oxidation. The key is ensuring THCV quality is maintained throughout the manufacturing process until fully incorporated into the final product.
Contact our BayMedica rare cannabinoid distributors to learn more about ensuring the highest quality of THCV for your products.