Diacetyl free popcorn flavor, is it possible?

[MTLian]

hello,

I'm soon going to be ordering some supplies to start DIY mainly to avoid diacetyl, create nice flavors and maybe save a little $$$.

A while ago when I was in a vape shop, I tried a buttered popcorn flavor and thought is was awesome. The bottle was expensive (about 30$) and it was high VG so I didn't buy it since it wouldn't have been compatible with the vape pen I was using at the time. One of the first flavors I'd like to create is buttered popcorn and apparently Capella sells a buttered popcorn that is diacetyl free. Is this true?

If creating a safe popcorn flavor is not feasible, can someone recommend a custard or cream flavor that is diacetyl free?

I understand that there is always a risk with flavors but if like advice to avoid flavors that are known to be unfit for vaping. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[nightshard]

Most of the manufacturers provide diacetyl free versions of the flavors that do contain it, using substitutes like butyric acid for example.

Mind you there is no assurance that the substitutes are any healthier then the original.

 

[Huckleberried]

Here's a plain popcorn, no custard notes. http://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/p-7318-popcorn-flavor.aspx?keyword=popcorn

 

["11"]

[...] If creating a safe popcorn flavor is not feasible, can someone recommend a custard or cream flavor that is diacetyl free?

I understand that there is always a risk with flavors but if like advice to avoid flavors that are known to be unfit for vaping. Thanks in advance for any advice!

There is sort of a trio of chems associated with diacetyl... the other two being acetyl propionyl (AP) and acetoin. They are considered a trio b/c all are butter notes, but the latter two can revert to diacetyl, which is why they also got kicked into the "axis of evil" (old SNL skit from Bush presidency... never mind). Point is, when diacetyl first got blacklisted, companies started using the latter two chems instead, not knowing at the time they were no better. So just b/c a flavor says it's "diacetyl free" doesn't mean a lot unless it also says it's AP and acetoin-free.

And if it IS... then [according to The Flavor Apprentice at least], the only way to create a butter note is to use butyric acid (BA), as nightshard mentioned. Many TFA flavors that are DAP-A-free, use butyric acid.

BA is not associated with diacetyl in any way, and if eaten it even has some health benefits. However it is a known irritant as far as inhalation goes, and its safety sheets all warn against inhaling it for that reason. Whether this is a serious issue or a very small one that only some people would even notice is unclear. TFA makes the point that very little BA is used in flavors b/c using too much creates a bad taste. (Regardless, I for one can't vape flavors made with BA and didn't know this until after I bought a bunch of diacetyl-AP-A-free flavors and wondered why they were irritating my airways... which made me look up BA.)

Point is, any custard or cream flavor is typically made with one of these butter notes. If you do find a custard or butter popcorn made with BA, I'd get a small amount first to try it, in case you find you aren't tolerant of BA. (In which case the flavors can always be moved to the kitchen to eat instead.)