BULK CBD OIL DROPS
Buy bulk CBD oil drops in Europe
CBD Oil Europe is the premium supplier of high quality CBD oil in Europe. CBD oil is made by diluting hemp extract with an oil until it stays liquid below room temperature. The article below is written for professionals looking to buy bulk CBD oil drops, wholesale CBD oil products, or white label CBD oil.
How CBD oil drops are made
The process of creating CBD oil drops starts with CBD extract, also known as CBD paste. This is crude hemp extract. This product is more or less solid depending on the temperature. Pure CBD melts at 66 degrees Celsius, but CBD paste contains a lot of waxes and fats. This mean that the product melts at a lower temperature, at which the liquid oil dilutes the CBD that is present. Because the precise composition of the extract depends on many variables (specific strain used, growing conditions, method of extraction and filtration) the melting temperature varies. Most CBD paste becomes liquid somewhere between 17 and 30 degrees celsius.
Before creating the drops, the CBD extract can be subjected to various processes, the most important of which are filtration and decarboxylation.
CBD Oil Drops Filtration & Decarboxylation
There are different ways of filtering the extract, with different results. The most significant difference is the temperature at which the filtration takes place. A supercooled (cryogenic) filtration is very effective for removing fats and waxes.
Decarboxylation means the extract is slightly heated. This causes the molecular structure of CBDa (Cannabidiolic acid) to change, becoming CBD. On the plant, CBD is present in it’s acidic variant called CBDa. This molecule has a number of interesting properties that are becoming more popular. However, (decarboxylated) CBD itself is better understood as most available research is focussed on CBD, and not CBDa.
Diluting CBD Oil paste with a carrier oil
CBD oil drops are made by taking extract or paste, and diluting it with another liquid (called ‘carrier’).
The liquid form makes dosage, application and absorption easier. A dropper bottle is used to apply a certain number of drops under the tongue, to be absorbed sublingually. This means CBD is diffused into the blood through tissues under the tongue.
The carrier has to be made up of fat or alchohol in order to successfully dissolve the CBD and absorb it into the body. Water based liquids don’t work, because CBD is lipofilic and hydrofobic. This means it dissolves in fat, but not in water. (If you have seen ‘Water soluble’ CBD, this is not technically a solution, but an emulsion. That means that tiny droplets of CBD extract are suspended in the liquid.)
The most common carrier oils for CBD drops
The carriers most used to make cbd bulk oil today are: hemp seed oil, olive oil and MCT oil. Alcohol can also be used to make CBD drops.
They all have their advantages and disadvantages:
Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp seed oil consists of about 80% essential fatty acids, mostly omega 3 and 6.
A disadvantage is the fact that hemp seed oil is prone to getting rancid, resulting in a short shelf-life, generally only 1 year.
Companies have had big problems with this, because sometimes a microbial contamination only reveals itself after the product has already left the factory. This results in costly call-back and reputational damage.
Olive Oil
Olive oil doesn’t have this problem and has a shelf-life of up to two years. Because it is so common in average households, the exceptional quality of this oil often gets overlooked. It’s one of the champions in terms of how much CBD can be dissolved in it before being fully saturated. The qualities of olive oil get too easily overlooked. Because it is so common in European households, its exceptional qualities are under appreciated.
MCT Coconut Oil
MCT oil, or medium-chain triglyceride, is a constituent of coconut-oil, and has recently become very popular. It is a very stable product, with long shelf life of 2 years. However, it is not considered to be the most palatable on this list. This can be addressed by adding natural flavouring to the product. Cinnamon and mint are popular examples.
Alcohol
Alcohol based drops have the longest possible shelf-life, as they can be preserved almost indefinitely under the right conditions (cool and dark). It also absorbs very rapidly. Again, the biggest problem is palatability: most people don’t like the taste. Alcohol based products are a minority in the European CBD market. However, they are a very stable product, and easily associated with other mainstream health products.
European novel food guidelines limitations on CBD percentage
We conclude this article by reminding professionals that the updated European Novel Food Guidelines clearly limit the percentage of CBD that can be present in CBD drops if they are marketed as a food supplement.
CBD Oil Europe provides CBD drops / CBD oil with a THC content of 0%, 0,05% or 0,2% depending on the market you are selling to.
Please reach out so we can advise you, and make sure your product adheres to the applicable regulations.