Contract Processing
Valcon Medical offers contract processing services of medical cannabis flower into extracted products. As an outsourcing partner, we provide a one-stop-shop service offering, from product development through product approvals.
Our services cover all steps from receiving dry biomass to formulating and packaging of finished products. The process is divided into 5 steps carefully designed to maximize cannabis recovery.
Our solutions are specifically made to meet the needs of our partners whether they wish to utilize the full-service offering or only parts of it. Our promise is to meet the highest standards of quality and consistency in every service.
Pre-processing
Dry cannabis flower is ground in a cutting mill to a defined particle size. Milling the cannabis flower increases the surface area exposed to the solvent. This process also ensures packing and particle uniformity throughout the extraction vessel which then facilitates a more consistent extraction process. Consistency is one of the key hallmarks of GMP.
The ground material is then placed into a specialized oven to begin the decarboxylation process. The process of decarboxylation converts the pharmacologically inactive acid form of cannabinoids to the corresponding active form. In short, THCA and CBDA which are found on the raw cannabis flower are converted to THC and CBD, respectively.
Extraction
Extraction is a process which separates specific components from a general matrix. When extracting medical cannabis, the components of interest include cannabinoids (THC, CBD, CBG, etc.), terpenes, and flavonoids.
Valcon Medical employs a state-of-the-art extraction system which uses Subcritical (liquid) and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) as the extraction solvent to recover the full profile of active substances existing in the beginning plant material. The resulting product is a high quality full-spectrum cannabis extract.
Purification
Depending on the desired end-product, a number of refinement processes can be utilized for purification. The extracted crude oil is purified by winterization where plant residuals are separated. The cannabinoids are finally recovered by distillation to create a concentrated soft extract.
Our manufacturing processes has been designed to deliver an extract with an active substance profile that matches the profile of the starting plant material. This is ensured by operating at the lowest temperatures in evaporation to preserve volatile compounds such as terpenes.
Formulation
The concentrated soft extract can be formulated to a wide variety of products. Formulation is the process of standardizing the product to a given composition of cannabinoid content. Precise dosing is key in ensuring consistency. The German monograph for cannabis extracts recommend using a pharma-grade MCT carrier oil.
Packaging
The first impression is the last impression.
In bridging the gap between manufacturing and marketing, packaging plays an important role in your product’s market perception. The Valcon Medical team is here to support you in creating a package that respects your brand and is also compliant in the intended markets.
