Work Item
ASTM WK89676
Revision of D8270-23b Standard Terminology Relating to Cannabis
Rationale
Project: 91-2023-05 & 91-2024-03
Addition of the term Solventless to D8270 Standards Terminology Related to Cannabis
Rationale:
“Solventless” is a common term utilized in the international cannabinoid-containing consumer products space to describe a range of products and processes. Historically, the term has been used to describe an extraction process that utilizes water as a carrier agent and suspension media and NOT as a solvent, hence “solventless”. However, it has come to refer to any process or product made without the use of a solvent.
The modern usage of the term “solventless” expands beyond the initial mechanical separation of the trichomes and includes post-processing techniques such as thermally-modulated mechanical expression and other thermally-modulated and pressure-modulated phase changes and crystallization processes.
It should be noted that the cannabinoids themselves are solvents along with the terpenes and other essential oils produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant. Because of this, the usage of the phrase “without using an exogenous solvent” has been included in the proposed definition. Here, usage of “exogenous” is meant to exclude (1) compounds that can be classified as solvents that are not found naturally in herbal extracts and exclude (2) compounds that can be classified as solvents and are found naturally in herbal extract so that neither are added to produce the final product.
The intent of this language is to acknowledge that the chemical properties of the compounds found in herbal extracts are complex and that some of these compounds both act like and are solvents themselves, and that these properties are relied on to produce several forms of “solventless” products.
The following proposed definition covers the newer usage of this term and attempts to provide explanation where needed via discussion points.
Work Item Status
Date Initiated: 02-16-2024
Technical Contact: Darwin Millard