Ethanol (aka Ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol) is a colorless, volatile and flammable liquid made by fermenting sugars found in plant materials such as corn, sugarcane and sugar beets in the presence of yeast.
200 proof ethanol is the purest form of ethanol that does not contain any additives or foreign ingredients. It is 100% alcohol by volume. Ethanol producers use a method called High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to test the purity of the alcohol. Some of the contaminants detected during the procedure are heavy metals like lead, thallium and arsenic, which are removed to obtain the purest ethanol. After the purity testing procedure the actual concentration of pure ethanol is 99.98%, with only about 0.02% of water.
Ethanol is food grade alcohol, so unlike other alcohols like methyl alcohol and isopropyl alcohol, it can be safe for consumption and for application on skin.
200 proof ethanol has several different types of uses, ranging from domestic to various industrial applications. Extraction, however, is one such process where the purest ethanol probably finds most of its uses.
Let’s learn more about the use of 200 proof ethanol in the extraction procedure.
Use of 200 proof ethanol in botanical extraction
The cannabis industries, in particular, prefer the 200 proof ethyl alcohol over all other types of alcohols as it is the highest quality food grade alcohol available. It is the purest form of solvent that solubilizes alkaloids, terpenes and cannabinoids in the best way possible. Essential oil manufacturers and industries extracting cannabis get the maximum profits while using 200 proof ethanol as the best solvent.
Extraction steps:
1. First of all, the botanical materials are ground to the desired size and then heated to activate the compounds. The process of activating the chemical compounds by supplying heat is known as decarboxylation.
2. The herbal materials are now soaked in the purest ethanol solvent in order to dissolve the activated chemical compounds.
3. The targeted chemical compounds are then extracted (separated) from the unwanted materials through different techniques such as filtration, heating, winterization etc.
4. Once all unwanted materials are separated from the desired compounds, the ethanol solvent content is allowed to evaporate, leaving behind only pure and highly concentrated herbal elements that are either directly consumable or can be used to make different food and pharmaceutical products like essential oils, tinctures and cannabis products etc.
Advantages of using 200-proof ethanol in extraction
200-proof ethanol has a number of edges over other alcohols during the extraction procedure, which are:
Efficiency
200-proof ethanol is the purest form of solvent that is able to dissolve the desired compounds found in the plant matter in the best possible way available. This results in yielding the optimal efficiency.
Versatility
The highest concentration of 200-proof ethanol makes it the best solvent for several different types of extractions including herbal, food and pharmaceutical applications.
Potency
The end product we get after extraction is a full-spectrum extract that is highly potent and powerful with no water and no alcohol.
Quality
Due to the highest purity and concentration of 200-proof ethanol, the final product obtained at the end of extraction has little or no solvent residue, which makes it the highest quality extract.
Safety
The 200-proof certified ethanol is devoid of contaminants and denaturants, which is why it is safe for various pharmaceutical and food applications.
When buying 200-proof food-grade ethanol, it is important to choose a reputable ethanol manufacturer. You may check out our Extractohol products from our e-store and buy them at the best rates.
