How Is CBG Made: Industrial Extraction and Isolation Methods for Cannabigerol Production

Quick Answer: CBG is produced through a multi-stage industrial process that begins with harvesting high-CBG hemp cultivars approximately 6-8 weeks into flowering, before CBGa converts into other cannabinoids. The biomass undergoes decarboxylation at 105-110°C for 15-25 minutes, followed by primary extraction using supercritical CO2 at specific parameters (18 MPa, 40°C for CO2). The crude extract is then refined through winterization, distillation at controlled temperatures, and chromatography purification to achieve 97-99% pure CBG isolate.

Key Takeaways

• CBG (cannabigerol) is the biochemical precursor to major cannabinoids, requiring early-harvest, high-CBG cultivars because most hemp converts CBGa into other cannabinoids as plants mature.

• Industrial production starts with decarboxylating CBGa at 105–110°C for 15–25 minutes, followed by cryogenic milling to optimize extraction efficiency.

• Primary extraction uses cold ethanol or supercritical CO2, with CBG requiring higher CO2 density (about 18 MPa and 40°C) due to its wax-like molecular structure.

• Winterization, staged filtration, solvent recovery, and distillation remove lipids, waxes, and volatiles, yielding distillate typically containing 75–88% CBG.

• Chromatography and controlled crystallization produce isolate-grade CBG with 98–99.5% purity, finalized through vacuum drying and stored in controlled conditions to maintain stability.

• For high-purity CBG backed by full COAs and technical formulation support, contact Arvida Labs today to build products with verified consistency and performance.

What Is CBG and Its Place in the Cannabinoid Industry

CBG (cannabigerol) serves as the biochemical precursor to THC, CBD, CBC, and other major cannabinoids, earning its designation as the "mother cannabinoid." Hemp plants synthesize CBGa (cannabigerolic acid) approximately 3 weeks into flowering, which then converts into THCa, CBDa, or CBCA through plant-specific synthase enzymes. 

This enzymatic conversion creates a production challenge: most mature hemp contains less than 1% CBG by dry weight as CBGa transforms into other cannabinoids during the flowering cycle.

Commercial CBG production requires purpose-bred cultivars with suppressed THCa and CBDa synthase activity, allowing CBGa to accumulate rather than convert. Modern high-CBG genetics like White CBG and Stem Cell CBG achieve 10-15% total cannabinoid content, harvested at weeks 6-7 of flowering when CBGa concentrations peak before enzymatic conversion depletes extractable material. 

This early harvest requirement and lower cannabinoid density compared to CBD hemp (20%+ achievable) drive production costs 15-20 times higher than CBD manufacturing, positioning CBG as a premium ingredient for specialized formulations rather than commodity cannabinoid applications.

Step-by-Step CBG Extraction and Isolation Process

Industrial CBG production follows a methodical sequence of extraction and refinement stages, each designed to isolate and purify cannabigerol from complex plant matrices while preserving molecular integrity and maximizing yield.

Step 1 - Biomass Preparation and Decarboxylation

Raw hemp biomass enters the production facility containing primarily CBGa rather than CBG, necessitating controlled decarboxylation to convert the acidic precursor into its neutral, bioactive form. 

This conversion occurs through heat-induced loss of the carboxyl group (COOH) from the CBGa molecule, releasing carbon dioxide and producing CBG. The decarboxylation efficiency and selectivity for CBG production differ significantly from other cannabinoids, with CBGa requiring more energy input and showing lower conversion efficiency than THCa or CBDa.

Temperature Control Parameters

Decarboxylation parameters for CBGa conversion require careful optimization to balance complete acid-to-neutral transformation against cannabinoid degradation. Published research demonstrates that CBGa decarboxylates completely at 105°C in approximately 15 minutes, or at 110°C in 20-25 minutes. 

Commercial operations typically use 105-110°C for 15-25 minutes as the optimal compromise between conversion efficiency and product quality, utilizing closed-loop decarboxylation vessels or specialized ovens with forced-air circulation to maintain uniform temperature distribution throughout the biomass load.

Post-Decarboxylation Processing

Following decarboxylation, biomass undergoes size reduction and homogenization to maximize surface area exposure during extraction. Industrial processors use cryogenic milling systems that freeze biomass with liquid nitrogen before grinding, which produces more uniform particle sizes (about 2-5mm) and prevents heat buildup that would otherwise volatilize terpenes and promote cannabinoid degradation.

Step 2 - Primary Extraction (Ethanol or CO2)

Primary extraction removes cannabinoids, terpenes, waxes, lipids, and chlorophyll from the processed biomass using either ethanol or supercritical CO2 as the solvent. CBG extraction presents unique challenges compared to CBD or THC isolation due to CBG's molecular structure, which resembles paraffinic waxes more closely than those of other major cannabinoids. This similarity means that CBG requires higher solvent densities for effective extraction.

Ethanol Extraction Method

Ethanol extraction operates as a room-temperature or cold-wash process where biomass is submerged in food-grade ethanol for 3-15 minutes, depending on temperature and desired selectivity. Cold ethanol extraction at -20°C to -40°C preferentially dissolves cannabinoids while limiting the extraction of chlorophyll and waxes, producing a lighter-colored crude extract with reduced purification requirements.

Key ethanol extraction parameters include:

• Biomass-to-Solvent: Ratio of 1:10 to 1:15 for optimal cannabinoid dissolution

• Sequential Wash Protocol: 2-3 passes, recovering 80-85% CBG in the first extraction

• Temperature Control: Between -20°C to -40°C, minimizing chlorophyll co-extraction

Supercritical CO2 Extraction Method

Supercritical CO2 extraction utilizes carbon dioxide maintained above its critical point (31.1°C, 73.8 bar) where it exhibits properties of both liquid and gas. For CBG extraction, the optimal parameters differ from CBD extraction protocols. 

Studies show CBG requires a CO2 density of around 0.82 g/cm³, achieved at approximately 18 MPa (180 bar) and 40°C, compared to the 15 MPa and 40°C commonly used for CBD extraction. This higher density requirement stems from CBG's structural similarity to paraffinic waxes, which necessitates a stronger solvation force to form the CO2-cannabinoid complex required for extraction.

Step 3 - Winterization and Filtration

Crude extract from either ethanol or CO2 extraction contains not only cannabinoids and terpenes but also substantial quantities of plant lipids, waxes, and chlorophyll that must be removed before distillation. 

Winterization addresses this by dissolving the crude extract in ethanol at -20°C to -40°C, causing the lipids and waxes to precipitate out of solution while cannabinoids remain dissolved. The mixture is held at a temperature for 12-48 hours with periodic agitation, allowing time for complete lipid aggregation and precipitation.

Staged Filtration Process

Following winterization, the extract must pass through filtration to physically separate precipitated waxes from the cannabinoid-rich ethanol solution. Industrial operations use a staged filtration approach, beginning with coarse filtration (25-50 micron) to remove large particulates, then progressing to fine filtration (1-5 micron) to capture smaller lipid particles. 

The filtration step typically removes 70-85% of lipids and waxes from crude extract, with the exact removal percentage depending on winterization temperature, duration, and filtration efficiency.

Step 4 - Solvent Recovery

Ethanol removal from winterized extract occurs through evaporation under vacuum, which reduces the boiling point and allows solvent recovery at temperatures low enough to prevent cannabinoid degradation. Small-to-medium scale operations use rotary evaporators for solvent recovery, with vacuum pumps reducing chamber pressure to 50-100 mbar, lowering ethanol's boiling point to 25-35°C. 

For CBG processing, bath temperatures are typically maintained at 30-40°C to balance evaporation speed against cannabinoid stability.

Industrial-Scale Recovery Systems

High-throughput operations processing 100+ kg crude daily transition to falling film evaporators (FFEs), which provide continuous solvent recovery with greater energy efficiency. Industrial FFE systems for cannabinoid processing normally feature multiple effect configurations where the vapor from one evaporation stage provides heating for subsequent stages, dramatically improving energy efficiency.

Step 5 - Distillation

Following solvent recovery, the concentrated extract enters distillation to separate cannabinoids from residual lipids, terpenes, and other volatile compounds through differential boiling points under vacuum. 

Short path distillation (SPD) systems operate by heating the extract in a boiling flask while maintaining high vacuum (0.001-0.005 mbar), which reduces cannabinoid boiling points to 160-180°C under vacuum.

Short Path Distillation Protocol

For CBG distillation, standard SPD protocols begin with a terpene strip at 120-140°C mantle temperature, then increase to 160-180°C where CBG vaporizes efficiently. The cannabinoid-rich vapor travels to the condenser, producing a translucent golden oil with 75-88% CBG content.

Wiped Film Distillation

Large-scale CBG producers increasingly employ wiped film distillation (WFD) systems, which use mechanical wipers to spread extract into a thin film on the interior surface of a heated vertical cylinder. This configuration provides more uniform heating and faster vapor transfer compared to SPD, allowing continuous processing with typical industrial units handling 15-30 kg per hour compared to 0.5-1.5 kg per batch for SPD.

Step 6 - Chromatography Purification

Distillation produces material with 75-90% CBG content, but achieving isolate-grade purity (97-99%+) requires chromatographic separation to remove remaining impurities, including residual CBD and minor cannabinoids. 

CBG presents particular separation challenges due to its molecular similarity to CBD; reversed-phase HPLC methods show poor selectivity between CBG and CBD peaks, making baseline separation difficult.

Flash Chromatography

Flash chromatography serves as the initial purification step for CBG distillate, using silica gel, alumina, or cross-linked dextran-based resin as the stationary phase and organic solvent mixtures as the mobile phase. 

For CBG purification, normal-phase chromatography using silica gel with hexane-ethyl acetate or hexane-isopropanol mobile phases effectively separates cannabinoid classes. Flash chromatography removes 80-90% of remaining impurities from distillate, producing material with 95-97% CBG purity.

Preparative HPLC

Preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) provides the precision required for isolate-grade CBG production (98-99.5%+ purity), utilizing tightly-packed columns with micron-sized particles and high-pressure pumps to achieve superior separation resolution. Industrial-scale preparative HPLC systems for CBG isolation normally process 100-500g of flash-purified material per day.

CBG-specific chromatography challenges include:

• Poor CBD/CBG selectivity in reversed-phase systems requires optimized mobile phases

• Higher column loading requirements due to structural similarities between target and contaminants

• Extended processing times for pharmaceutical-grade purity (98.5%+) versus standard isolate (97%)

Simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography is an advanced HPLC variant that provides continuous separation through multiple interconnected columns. SMB chromatography can achieve CBG extracts with 97% purity and 100% recovery when properly configured.

Step 7 - Crystallization and Final Isolation

Following chromatographic purification, the CBG-rich solution requires crystallization to produce the solid crystalline CBG that characterizes finished isolate products. The crystallization process begins with concentrating the purified CBG solution through gentle evaporation, increasing cannabinoid concentration until it approaches saturation. 

The solution is then allowed to cool slowly or seeded with CBG crystal fragments, initiating nucleation where CBG molecules begin organizing into crystal lattice structures. Crystal formation is normally performed at controlled temperature (often 4°C to room temperature) over 24-72 hours, with slower crystallization producing larger, more regular crystals and a higher-purity product.

Final Drying and Storage

Final drying of crystalline CBG occurs in vacuum ovens at 40-50°C under deep vacuum for 12-24 hours to reduce residual solvent to <0.5% and moisture to <0.3%. The dried crystalline CBG appears as an off-white to white powder with purity ranging from 98-99.5% by HPLC analysis. 

Isolate-grade CBG requires controlled storage conditions to maintain purity, normally packaged in amber glass jars or metalized bags with minimal headspace, then stored in cool (15-25°C), dark conditions. Properly stored CBG isolate maintains >98% purity for 18-24 months.

Closing Thoughts - Why High-Quality CBG Matters for Product Formulations

The multi-stage purification process detailed above isn't academic. It directly determines whether your CBG-based products deliver consistent effects, pass regulatory testing, and maintain stability through their shelf life. Brands formulating with CBG face a market flooded with distillate claiming 90%+ purity but lacking the documentation to verify actual cannabinoid profiles, residual solvent levels, or heavy metal content. 

The difference between 95% and 98.5% CBG purity may seem marginal on paper, but that 3.5% gap often contains CBD, CBN, or unknown degradation products that alter product performance and complicate dose calculations for effect-based formulations.

Arvida Labs produces CBG isolate through the complete extraction and purification workflow to create products optimal for any kind of formulation. Our isolates consistently test at 98%+ purity with full cannabinoid profiling, residual solvent panels, and heavy metals testing documented on batch-specific COAs. We maintain a complete chain of custody documentation from biomass sourcing through finished isolate, providing the transparency required for brands operating in regulated markets or targeting pharmaceutical-grade applications.

For formulators building products around specific CBG concentrations, whether wellness tinctures, topical formulations, or precision-dose capsules, starting with our verified isolate eliminates the guesswork. Our technical team works with brand partners to provide cannabinoid selection guidance, stability data, and formulation support that extends beyond just supplying bulk material.

Arvida Labs maintains detailed COAs for all isolates and distillates, providing the transparency and consistency your brand is looking for. Contact us to learn more today.

Need custom CBG formulations or white-label products built around specific cannabinoid ratios? Our white-label partnership program supports brands from initial formulation through finished product development.

Frequently Asked Questions About CBG

What Makes CBG Production More Expensive Than CBD?

CBG production costs 15-20 times more than CBD due to lower plant concentrations (10-15% versus 20% CBD), requiring 2-3 times more biomass processing. CBG-dominant hemp commands premium prices ($400-$800/kg versus $150-$400/kg for CBD). CBG's molecular similarity to paraffinic waxes necessitates higher extraction pressures and more aggressive chromatography purification, increasing processing time and solvent consumption.

Can CBG Be Extracted From the Same Hemp Used for CBD?

Technically possible but commercially impractical. By optimal CBD harvest timing, enzymatic conversion has transformed most CBGa into CBDa, leaving <1% CBG in mature biomass. Purpose-bred CBG cultivars suppress CBGa-to-CBDa conversion enzymes and require earlier harvest (week 6-7) to capture peak cannabigerol content before enzymatic transformation depletes extractable material.

How Long Does It Take to Produce CBG Isolate From Raw Biomass?

Complete production spans 7-14 days, depending on scale and equipment. The timeline includes decarboxylation (2-4 hours), primary extraction (3-8 hours), winterization (12-48 hours), solvent recovery (2-6 hours), distillation (4-12 hours), chromatography (4-24 hours), and crystallization (36-72 hours). Large-scale continuous processing equipment compresses timelines toward the lower range.

What's the Difference Between CBGa and CBG in Manufacturing?

CBGa is the acidic precursor containing a carboxyl group that hemp naturally synthesizes. CBGa either enzymatically converts to other cannabinoid acids or thermally decarboxylates to CBG through heat. CBGa production requires early harvest and cold processing to prevent conversion, while CBG manufacturing uses controlled heat (105-110°C) for deliberate decarboxylation.

Is Supercritical CO2 or Ethanol Extraction Better for CBG?

Neither offers universal superiority—choice depends on scale, capital, and specifications. CO2 produces cleaner extracts with tunable parameters but requires 5-10x higher investment ($200,000-$500,000) and greater energy consumption. Ethanol offers faster processing and lower costs ($30,000-$80,000) but needs extensive solvent recovery. Large pharmaceutical-grade operations favor CO2; mid-scale producers choose ethanol.

Why Is Chromatography Necessary for CBG Isolate Production?

Chromatography separates CBG from chemically similar cannabinoids, particularly CBD, that survive extraction and distillation. CBG distillate contains 75-88% CBG with 5-15% CBD contamination. Reversed-phase HPLC shows poor CBG/CBD selectivity due to structural similarities. Chromatography exploits subtle polarity differences to achieve baseline separation, consistently producing isolate-grade purity (98-99.5%+) unattainable through distillation alone.

What Quality Standards Should Buyers Expect for CBG Isolate?

Buyers should require COAs showing minimum 97% CBG purity, <0.3% THC, full cannabinoid profiles, residual solvents <100 ppm ethanol (other solvents non-detect), and heavy metals within stringent limits (lead <0.5 ppm, arsenic <0.2 ppm). Thorough pesticide panels (60+ compounds) must pass state action levels. Microbial testing should confirm E. coli/Salmonella absence with acceptable bacteria/mold levels.

Sources for This Article

• PMC: "Decarboxylation Study of Acidic Cannabinoids: A Novel Approach Using Ultra-High-Performance Supercritical Fluid Chromatography/Photodiode Array-Mass Spectrometry" - pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5549281/

• Wiley Online Library: “Cannabigerol Extraction from a Cannabis Cultivar Using a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Process” - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ceat.70052

• Ablaze Export: "Short Path Distillation Equipment | Molecular Distillation Equipment Supplier" - ablazeexport.com/molecular-distillation-short-path-distillation/

• Aptia Engineering: "Wiped Film / Thin Film Short Path Distillation Systems" - aptiaengineering.com/equipment/refinement/wfd-v-vertical-wiped-film-distillation/

• Chromatography Online: "Flash Chromatography" - chromatographyonline.com/view/flash-chromatography-3

• Chromatography Online: "Introduction to Preparative HPLC" - chromatographyonline.com/view/introduction-preparative-hplc-0

• ScienceDirect: “Green cannabigerol purification through simulated moving bed chromatography” - sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772577423000186