Oxygen Absorbers for Flower Storage?

[Veritas629]

I keep the bulk of my herb in jars and I've been using Boveda-type packs to control RH%. This works well and if left unopened, they can last a year+. Opened or unopened, eventually the aroma & flavour fades over time. I've always assumed oxidation is the Creeping Death for long term flower storage. Same as that dusty paprika hiding at the back your pantry since 2019!

While searching for desiccants at work, I found those little oxygen absorber packs used in food packets like jerky. Anyone tried limiting oxygen during storage? I reckon it can't hurt at $1 per litre, but is it genuinely useful ..

 

[Creeperpark]

I keep the bulk of my herb in jars and I've been using Boveda-type packs to control RH%. This works well and if left unopened, they can last a year+. Opened or unopened, eventually the aroma & flavour fades over time. I've always assumed oxidation is the Creeping Death for long term flower storage. Same as that dusty paprika hiding at the back your pantry since 2019!

While searching for desiccants at work, I found those little oxygen absorber packs used in food packets like jerky. Anyone tried limiting oxygen during storage? I reckon it can't hurt at $1 per litre, but is it genuinely useful ..

View attachment 19159351

Thanks for the tip friend.

 

[Chevy cHaze]

I bought a bag od those a while ago and have jarred some California Indica a) without anything added and b) with an oxygen absorber pack. So far after 2 weeks i can’t tell any difference and every time i have checked i‘ve also put a new absorber in

 

[Veritas629]

My best guess is their effect, if any is to be found, will be in the long term. I've got a small harvest coming next weekend. I'm thinking I will jar up a few with the O2 absorbers and a few without them. I'll stash two jars to open after 6mons and another pair to open at a year. The worst that can happen is I have a couple jars of stale bud which I would then use up in some edibles.

 

[Chemdoge]

Oxygen is largely how cannabis flavor is developed. Not all Cannabis can be cured, however.

Shelf life /curing is a grow issue. You should be able to hang your bud in a shed for 5 years and still have flavor, in my opinion.


Seems today's genetics and nutrients just aren't what they used to be. Quality is obviously not the goal of Cannabis production anymore.

Modern weed has these things called "terpenes", which are poisons featured in floor cleaners, disinfectants, candles, and air fresheners. They are also present in most plastic products. Terpenes make the weed worse. They ruin the natural flavor development and shelf life.

Terpenes are the reason modern weed strains are no where near as good as regular weed strains from the 90s-2000s. Regular weed gets its flavors from carboxylic esters (and amino acid degradation), like most consumable plant products do:

Evolution of the Aroma Volatiles of Pear Fruits Supplemented with Fatty Acid Metabolic Precursors

To examine the biochemical metabolism of aroma volatiles derived from fatty acids, pear fruits were incubated in vitro with metabolic precursors of these compounds. Aroma volatiles, especially esters, were significantly increased, both qualitatively and quantitatively, in pear fruits fed on...

www.mdpi.com

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369526622000504?via%3Dihub

I like finding a crumb under the sofa and being able to tell which strain it was from last year. You won't get that with modern genetics and nutrients designed for terpenes rather than weed flavor precursors.

Shelf life is about continually breaking down fats and proteins, and the signaling molecules formed between fats and proteins. Nothing there to break down? Nothing to form signaling molecules? Most farmers don't even consider fat and protein in their crops diet.

 

[Hiddenjems]

You can pack finished product in co2 and it won’t oxidize.

 

[Pantzermensch]

That's not really true. CO2 is an oxidizer, albeit a slow one (the o2 is still in there). If you want to pack in an inert atmosphere use Argon.

 

[chronosync]

Nitrogen is used in gourmet coffee industry. I used to work for a micro roaster.
We had a machine that vacced out the air from a mylar bag and replaced it with nitrogen before sealing it up.

 

[mm4n]

Terpenes make the weed worse. They ruin the natural flavor development and shelf life.

No offense, but I think you don't know the meaning of the words you use.

Chemically, what you wrote makes no sense: my lemon plant naturally produces the hydrocarbons we call Limonene which determine the scent of all lemons in the world. And it's a terpene. Without terpenes the smell of lemon would not exist.

 

[Wolverine97]

No offense, but I think you don't know the meaning of the words you use.

Chemically, what you wrote makes no sense: my lemon plant naturally produces the hydrocarbons we call Limonene which determine the scent of all lemons in the world. And it's a terpene. Without terpenes the smell of lemon would not exist.

I'm pretty sure he's a student, and each new thing he "learns" he comes here to yell about, while not understanding big picture stuff. He makes some good points at times, but he's usually just shouting inane catchy words and calling us all "potheads".

 

[chronosync]

Is nitrogen-modified atmosphere packaging a tool for retention of volatile terpenes and cannabinoids in stored Cannabis sativa inflorescence? - PMC

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) alters the gaseous composition of air surrounding packaged goods to prevent deleterious oxidation associated reactions. MAP has been adopted for the storage of cannabis, though a recent study revealed little ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"N2 MAP only increased concentrations of CBG and THCV compared to atmospheric storage."
which, if true is awesome, especially for sativa lovers

Conclusion​

Total cannabinoids didn’t change through storage or MAP, but there were changes to specific cannabinoids. Canned cannabis decreased in THCA during storage, but increased in Δ9-THC, CBNA, and CBC. N2 MAP only increased concentrations of CBG and THCV compared to atmospheric storage. There may be some therapeutic benefit to having higher CBG and THCV content, though producers would have to determine if it was worth the added expense of N2. Total volatile terpene compounds also didn’t change through storage or MAP, but there was an overall decrease in monoterpenes and increase in sesquiterpenes under N2 MAP. Specifically, N2 MAP preserved β-myrcene, increased α-humulene, and decreased limonene compared to atmospheric storage.