Was about to store all my Juice in the Refrigerator until......

[Vapeon4Life]

Apparently this question comes up often - Someone here told me refrigeration was fine - But I did some more research and others say it is a no-no; will not cause the juice to last longer and in fact may cause it to change flavor and/or degrade faster.

From this forum several years ago I found this:
Storing e-liquids in the fridge
Discussion in 'General E-Liquid Discussion' started by AnthonyB, May 3, 2017.
Link:
Storing e-liquids in the fridge

What do you know or think about this - What has been your experience with refrigeration?

THANKS !

 

[CAAB]

I am all for people conducting their own tests and coming up with their own conclusions. If it works for them, that's great. For me though, regarding eliquids and extracts, I am choosing to refrigerate.

I reached out to a veteran DIY NET vaper who has refrigerated his extracts for a number of years with success and mentioned that his experience has been 180 degrees different from the thread you referenced.

I am currently in agreement with the NET vaper I reached out to. Here is my line of reasoning. Understanding that I have only just started to refrigerate my extracts and eliquids, so this is not going from personal experience.

I think it helps to break down eliquid into its individual ingredients and assess them in this manner. First, the big ones, VG, PG, and nicotine. We've seen multiple users report that nicotine can last indefinitely if stored in the freezer, and much longer in the refrigerator than at room temperature. We're talking at least five years old, people reporting on tests. So right away we see that VG, PG, and nicotine are ok in fridge and freezer. Nic Base Storage: Freezer vs. Room Temp Experiment

So that leaves flavors. I am going to flavor manufacturer's recommendations for this one. I found this thread where a Real Flavors representative states the following.

The shelf life of a flavor will vary widely. It is best to follow this guide. To find the exact date of manufacture, please refer to your lot number and our COA guide found on our website.

Super Concentrates have a shelf life of 12-18 months (60F° to 72F°) and up to 4 years if refrigerated. Never freeze flavors, this will cause some separation, and the flavor may “break” causing you never to get them to mix again.

Be sure to store all flavors in a cool, dark place away from sources of direct sunlight heat and flame; pigments in the flavor (from the natural extracts) tend to fade or discolor over time when exposed to sunlight. This fading is normal and is to be expected. Flavor bottles can explode in temperatures inside the container reach above 150F° from evaporation. For long-term storage, refrigerate, and then allowing the flavor to return to room temperature before opening or using the flavor.
​

So we see a flavor manufacturer saying that you can roughly quadruple shelf life of flavors by refrigeration, not freezing. The key here is to allow the flavor to return to room temperature prior to opening. And I think this is the key. Condensation is your enemy, so your flavors and eliquids need a tight seal as well. VG and PG are hygroscopic, so they are going to readily absorb moisture.

That condensation in your refrigerator is not going to be pure water either, it will probably impart some kind of flavor. Like if you stored garlic bread, haggis, or spilled crab eliquid in the fridge. Even the air inside the refrigerator may impart a flavor if there is not a tight seal on the liquids. I imagine certain plastics might absorb odors as well.

To be safe, it would be best to have charcoal in your fridge to absorb odors and not put anything pungent in with your eliquids. As for me, I have a dedicated mini fridge/freezer for extracts and eliquids. Freezer portion is for nicotine.

Also, your refrigerator shouldn't have freezing cold spots or an overall temperature below freezing, because in this case you may damage flavors.

Another potential effect of refrigeration temperatures on eliquids might be temporary and solved with allowing the eliquid to warm up for a time prior to using. This has to do with the diminished solubility of VG, PG, and decreased homogenization of the flavors as temperature decreases. Basically, as the temperature decreases, PG and VG may lose their ability to hold flavors as well and may result in some of these ingredients precipitating out of solution. Similar to how rock candy is formed after sugar water is allowed to cool.

Removing the eliquid, allowing it to come to room temperature, and then giving the eliquid a good shake prior to using will help homogenize the ingredients again.

So this brings up potential limitations to refrigerating eliquid. If they need to be allowed to come to room temperature and homogenize again, then if it is something you use on a regular basis, it might be worth it to just leave the eliquid at room temperature. If it's something you use only now and again, perhaps it is worth refrigeration.

Regarding NET eliquids, I am assuming that NET extracts will behave similarly to commercial flavor extracts. Again, this is not from experience but from conjecture and from consultation with a DIY NET vaper who has been doing this for years.

Just to reiterate though, I am all for people testing with perhaps a single bottle of eliquid or a single bottle of flavoring first, seeing how refrigerator storage works for them. Then if it works, add more to suit your comfort level.

 

[Vapeon4Life]

I am all for people conducting their own tests and coming up with their own conclusions. If it works for them, that's great. For me though, regarding eliquids and extracts, I am choosing to refrigerate.

I reached out to a veteran DIY NET vaper who has refrigerated his extracts for a number of years with success and mentioned that his experience has been 180 degrees different from the thread you referenced.

I am currently in agreement with the NET vaper I reached out to. Here is my line of reasoning. Understanding that I have only just started to refrigerate my extracts and eliquids, so this is not going from personal experience.

I think it helps to break down eliquid into its individual ingredients and assess them in this manner. First, the big ones, VG, PG, and nicotine. We've seen multiple users report that nicotine can last indefinitely if stored in the freezer, and much longer in the refrigerator than at room temperature. We're talking at least five years old, people reporting on tests. So right away we see that VG, PG, and nicotine are ok in fridge and freezer. Nic Base Storage: Freezer vs. Room Temp Experiment

So that leaves flavors. I am going to flavor manufacturer's recommendations for this one. I found this thread where a Real Flavors representative states the following.

The shelf life of a flavor will vary widely. It is best to follow this guide. To find the exact date of manufacture, please refer to your lot number and our COA guide found on our website.

Super Concentrates have a shelf life of 12-18 months (60F° to 72F°) and up to 4 years if refrigerated. Never freeze flavors, this will cause some separation, and the flavor may “break” causing you never to get them to mix again.

Be sure to store all flavors in a cool, dark place away from sources of direct sunlight heat and flame; pigments in the flavor (from the natural extracts) tend to fade or discolor over time when exposed to sunlight. This fading is normal and is to be expected. Flavor bottles can explode in temperatures inside the container reach above 150F° from evaporation. For long-term storage, refrigerate, and then allowing the flavor to return to room temperature before opening or using the flavor.
​

So we see a flavor manufacturer saying that you can roughly quadruple shelf life of flavors by refrigeration, not freezing. The key here is to allow the flavor to return to room temperature prior to opening. And I think this is the key. Condensation is your enemy, so your flavors and eliquids need a tight seal as well. VG and PG are hygroscopic, so they are going to readily absorb moisture.

That condensation in your refrigerator is not going to be pure water either, it will probably impart some kind of flavor. Like if you stored garlic bread, haggis, or spilled crab eliquid in the fridge. Even the air inside the refrigerator may impart a flavor if there is not a tight seal on the liquids. I imagine certain plastics might absorb odors as well.

To be safe, it would be best to have charcoal in your fridge to absorb odors and not put anything pungent in with your eliquids. As for me, I have a dedicated mini fridge/freezer for extracts and eliquids. Freezer portion is for nicotine.

Also, your refrigerator shouldn't have freezing cold spots or an overall temperature below freezing, because in this case you may damage flavors.

Another potential effect of refrigeration temperatures on eliquids might be temporary and solved with allowing the eliquid to warm up for a time prior to using. This has to do with the diminished solubility of VG, PG, and decreased homogenization of the flavors as temperature decreases. Basically, as the temperature decreases, PG and VG may lose their ability to hold flavors as well and may result in some of these ingredients precipitating out of solution. Similar to how rock candy is formed after sugar water is allowed to cool.

Removing the eliquid, allowing it to come to room temperature, and then giving the eliquid a good shake prior to using will help homogenize the ingredients again.

So this brings up potential limitations to refrigerating eliquid. If they need to be allowed to come to room temperature and homogenize again, then if it is something you use on a regular basis, it might be worth it to just leave the eliquid at room temperature. If it's something you use only now and again, perhaps it is worth refrigeration.

Regarding NET eliquids, I am assuming that NET extracts will behave similarly to commercial flavor extracts. Again, this is not from experience but from conjecture and from consultation with a DIY NET vaper who has been doing this for years.

Just to reiterate though, I am all for people testing with perhaps a single bottle of eliquid or a single bottle of flavoring first, seeing how refrigerator storage works for them. Then if it works, add more to suit your comfort level.

THANKS! - Best information I've received so far.

One more question - All e liquds and nicotine that I have come in plastic bottles.

Everyone says move it all to glass because the plastic will leach - I'm skeptical though I agree glass would be best - The plastics used are specially made to be resistant to any leaching aren't they? Solvent type substances like rubbing alcohol come in plastic bottles and these substances are used extensively on the body and most foods, some of which may also have somewhat volatile compounds in them and drinking water too, come in plastic containers...........That said, do you really believe there is a need to worry about ejuice and nicotine, especially if it is to be stored cool, cold or frozen? - Is there any real 'evidence' that ejuice or nicotine will leach in the plastic it comes in ???

 

[CAAB]

Everyone says move it all to glass because the plastic will leach - I'm skeptical though I agree glass would be best - The plastics used are specially made to be resistant to any leaching aren't they? Solvent type substances like rubbing alcohol come in plastic bottles and these substances are used extensively on the body and most foods, some of which may also have somewhat volatile compounds in them and drinking water too, come in plastic containers...........That said, do you really believe there is a need to worry about ejuice and nicotine, especially if it is to be stored cool, cold or frozen? - Is there any real 'evidence' that ejuice or nicotine will leach in the plastic it comes in ???

All plastics not being equal, I think it's important to know what kind of plastic is being used for storage. Here is a chart of different plastics and their performance against different types of chemicals: Chemical Compatibility Chart - LDPE, HDPE, PP, Teflon Resistance

I took a look at River Supply as an example and they list their nicotine containers as HDPE.

I looked into HDPE. It seems well suited for the purpose of storing eliquids and nicotine. However, I was unable to find any studies on longevity of HDPE in a controlled environment (no light, low temperature, etc...) I didn't do a deep dive in the subject, but I think that would be the question I would ask. What happens to HDPE after 10-20 years in a freezer with PG and VG and nicotine. If you're talking longterm storage.

I did read that even HDPE can leach estrogen: Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved

I haven't read the article in detail so I can't tell you exactly how much is being leached and what that might mean for a vaper.

I focus on the longterm storage because I think that's perhaps where manufacturers don't foresee their product being used. As for short term storage, like 5 years or less, if the type of plastic is suited to the application, I am guessing that there shouldn't be a problem. As you mention, the people selling these things are anticipating their use case. Especially with PMTA submissions, I believe they are required to assess what happens to eliquid that sits for an extended period of time.