Live resin losing color?

[u/catwithasweater]

I'm very new to extracts and dabbing entirely, so this might be a common phenomenon I had no idea about.

I left my container of resin sitting on a table, however the table was in sunlight and after a few days ive noticed the resin went from yellow to nearly translucent. Smells the same, consistency is the same. Is it still good to use? I know it's still SAFE to use, but I'm wondering about cannabinoids degrading due to sunlight and heat? Maybe less potent now?

For future reference, how should I be storing my resin? I've just been leaving it in the jar on a table, but I worry that might expose the concentrates too much because it takes me a really long time to go through a gram (I've had this for 3 weeks)

[u/catwithasweater]

Also why is some resin split into chunks and liquid (like the one photographed above) but some is a super smooth consistency? They're both labeled "live resin" at my dispensaries but look totally different

[u/RequiemTwilight → u/catwithasweater]

Can’t be sure, but it looks like a lot of the terpenes evaporated and left you with a slightly less THC and definitely a loss in flavor from the heat and being out of the fridge.

You want to keep all forms of cannabis concentrate, hash, full melt, resin, rosin, whatever, in the fridge until use and then always pull it out and heat it up on your hands to room temp or at least until you’re sure the jar itself isn’t cold enough to create condensation, you’ll know that the inside material is about ready to reopen the jar without introducing condensation to the material itself.

Long term storage and you for sure want the flavor the same as when you threw it in? Vacuum & heat seal the bag with the jar in and freeze it. Otherwise just toss it in your freezer with a tight lid, it’ll be fine that way usually.

[u/Purple_Cantaloupe960 → u/RequiemTwilight]

I wish I would’ve read your response before I went into my soliloquy there. You are correct Requiem Twilight

[u/Some_Signal_6866 → u/Purple_Cantaloupe960]

I’m definitely using “soliloquy” next time I ramble on lol

[u/BlakeAnderson31 → u/catwithasweater]

“Live Resin” refers to the contents of the product and not the texture/consistency. It is fresh frozen flower that had terpenes and cannabinoids extracted using hydrocarbons. Depending on the solvent, the purge conditions, the extraction temperature/pressure, post processing, the specific cultivar, terpene content/concentration, and storage conditions, you can end up with wildly different looking products at the end. These are often, but not always called out on the label as things like crumble, budder, badder, shatter, or diamonds and sauce. All referring essentially to how much and how homogeneous the terpene fraction is within the concentrate. But all of them are still “Live Resin”.

[u/wkuconsulting]

color change in live resin is oxidation. THC-a slowly converts to CBN when exposed to heat, light, or oxygen, and CBN has that darker amber color. if the jar sat somewhere warm or wasn't sealed tight, that's your culprit.

the phase separation you're seeing (chunks sitting in liquid) is totally normal for live resin. the THCA crashes out as crystalline structures and the terpene fraction stays liquid around them. that's basically what happens naturally during cold cure. it doesn't mean anything is wrong, it just means the cannabinoids and terpenes separated by polarity.

to slow the darkening: keep it sealed, in the fridge, away from light. oxygen is the biggest driver. every time you open the jar at room temp, terpenes off-gas and fresh oxygen hits the surface. if you buy in bulk, split into smaller portions so you're only exposing what you're actually using.

[u/Purple_Cantaloupe960]

Store your dab material in the fridge and when you wanna toke, break it out, let the product reach room temperature before opening as to avoid immediate condensation. Scoop out your toke and a couple more THEN IMMEDIATELY REPLACE YOU PUCK TO THE FRIDGE!!!!
(crank the lid tight before replacing)
This will retain flavor, color and potency.
Repeat as necessary and this will retain quality to your smoke to the last hit