Cannabis Plant Lipids vs. Lipid Additives: What You Need to Know
Cannabis plant lipids serve a critical role in supporting cell function throughout the plant's life cycle. These oils, fats, and waxes are generally removed from cannabis concentrates during post-processing using a method known as winterization, and so generally aren’t a major factor in product quality or consumer health.
However, in vape cartridges and other inhalable extracts, it is common to encounter lipid additives used to improve the viscosity of cannabis oil or as cutting agents -- and these lipid additives can be very harmful to consumer health by damaging lung tissue and causing illness. Importantly, plant lipids and lipid additives are not the same thing, although they are commonly lumped together and can be confused.
Unfamiliarity with the difference between cannabis plant lipids and other lipid additives may leave consumers in the dark about whether their vape cartridge is safe or not. This guide will help to illuminate the difference between cannabis plant lipids and vape additives, as well as how laboratories screen cannabis products to prevent harmful additives from reaching dispensary shelves.
In this blog, you will learn:
What cannabis plant lipids are
What lipid additives are and why they are used
Why testing cannabis for lipid additives is important
New Jersey's requirements for lipids testing
What are cannabis plant lipids?
Cannabis plant lipids are naturally occurring fatty acids found in cannabis that act as structural components of cell membranes. Lipids maintain the shape and structure of the cell while also acting as selectively permeable membranes, allowing cells to take in nutrients and store them as energy.
When cannabis flower is subject to extraction methods to create a concentrated extract, such as wax or shatter, cannabis plant lipids often come along with cannabinoids and terpenes. Generally, cannabis plant lipids are seen as undesirable byproducts of the extraction process that reduce the purity and overall quality of cannabis oil.
To avoid cannabis plant lipids diminishing the quality of an extract, most manufacturers further refine their products to remove cannabis plant lipids. To do so, extractors use processes like dewaxing and winterization to remove cannabis plant lipids from concentrates, leaving a product that is packed with cannabinoids and terpenes without the fatty acids.
What are lipid additives and why are they used in vape products?
Lipid additives include compounds like vitamin E acetate, vegetable glycerol, and propylene glycol that have sometimes been added to cannabis vaping products to improve the viscosity of the oil.
Researchers do not yet know the impact of inhaling lipid additives on the human body. Currently, it is believed that these lipid additives disrupt protective liquids in the lungs, known as surfactants, when vaporized and inhaled. This may allow lipid accumulation that eventually results in a condition known as lipid pneumonia. This condition was commonly found in people who used medicated ointment in their noses, and it has cropped up in cannabis consumers who vaporized products that contained these lipid additives. As a result, it is critical that cannabis analysis laboratories test all vape cartridges for lipid additives like vitamin E acetate, vegetable glycerol, and propylene glycol.
Vitamin E acetate is the additive identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the cause behind the lethal 2019 outbreak of Electronic Vaping Associated Lung Illness (EVALI). The CDC identified this additive as primarily used as an ingredient in black market vaporizer cartridges, though instances of the additive making its way into licensed cannabis products have been reported as well.
Cannabis plant lipids vs. lipid additives
Lipid additives should not be confused with the cannabis plant lipids removed during extract post-processing. Cannabis plant lipids are a natural part of the cannabis plant, removed once valuable compounds are extracted from cannabis flower. Lipid additives, as the name implies, are added into the final product.
Does New Jersey require lab testing for lipids?
New Jersey announced in August 2021, that the use of additives would be prohibited in manufactured vaping products, including vitamin E acetate or tocopherol acetate (VEA), polyethylene glycol (PEG), propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin, glycerine, or glycerol (VG), and acetic acid. As New Jersey is currently following Maryland state cannabis testing standards in the interim, and Maryland does require testing for VEA in cannabis products, therefore so does New Jersey. Maryland state testing standards indicate that any cannabis vape product containing more than 0.7% vitamin E acetate must be destroyed.
At True Labs for Cannabis, our leadership supports the state mandating that producers of vape products should refrain from including vitamin E acetate and other additives. We are happy to work within the scope of these guidelines and provide testing services to illustrate the safety and compliance of products being produced by reputable manufacturers, while providing peace of mind to consumers who prefer this method of consumption.
How do cannabis analysis laboratories test for lipid additives?
Cannabis testing laboratories are able to screen for harmful lipid additives like vitamin E acetate through a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry. This process includes the use of a chromatography column packed with a matrix that can be used to separate the various compounds found within a cannabis product.
By analyzing the spectra of these compounds as they separate from one another, analysts can determine the quantity of vitamin E acetate, as well as other harmful cutting agents and viscosity-modifying substances. If the levels of those lipid additives exceed state limits, the product must be destroyed. If the levels are below state-imposed limits, the product may be released to the dispensary for sale to consumers in accordance with state laws and regulations.
When purchasing cannabis oil or other concentrates, it is critical to choose a regulated product from a licensed producer and distributor. Licensed products are required to undergo cannabis testing by law in states with legal cannabis programs. And while requirements vary from state to state, most states require testing for VEA as well, especially following the EVALI epidemic.
Protecting the health of New Jersey consumers
Cannabis testing labs serve many different functions, but the most important is to serve as a bulwark to protect consumer safety. In new and evolving cannabis markets like New Jersey's, accurate and detailed data about precisely what is in a cannabis product can give consumers confidence in product quality and help to establish brand trust where much of the industry is new and uncertain. When you want to provide honest, transparent, and thorough results to customers, from lipid additive screening to phytocannabinoid profiling, True Labs for Cannabis is your source.