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Writer's pictureCarol Stiff

What’s that Smell ~ Terpenes and More


I read an interesting article on analysis of terpenes, and thought it would be helpful to summarize it, however the article (cited below) has produced more questions than answers. Add to that the citation Jeremy posted last week on the CPPNW FB page, “Why does weed smell skunky? “. The search for more information widened and my desk started to look like I was again writing a dissertation.


Terpenes, flavonoids, volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), ketones and esters contribute to the aroma, flavor, and functioning of cannabis plants (e.g., repel predators, environmental stress, pollinators). The VSCs seem to cause the skunky aroma that some of us really, really love. More on that in later article.


Terpenes have been thought to be the primary cause of aroma and many choose a particular variety by its terpene profile. However published terpene profiles are misleading as it depends on which method of analysis was used in the testing. Besides being confusing to the consumer, these values often dictate the price of the product.


The article, by Polito and Lange (2022) includes extremely detailed and reliable methods of analysis of terpenes. They outline step-by-step protocols for analysis of cannabis flower buds using different methods and comparing results. The chemistry is beyond me, but the protocols appear relatively complete and easy to follow if you are familiar with gas chromatograph, mass spec, autosamplers, etc.


They explain the importance of each step and emphasize importance of handling volatile compounds properly to minimize the loss of volatiles. Note that this cannot be done in your kitchen and probably not in your home lab unless you have an overwhelming amount of cash or a generous benefactor as the needed equipment is quite expensive, so best advice is to consult with a company specializing in this.


In my search for information on lavender terpenes (I started a lavender farm a few years ago) I discovered this company, Kennebec Analytical Services which specializes in lavender and cannabis chemical analysis. Check out this link for a fantastic photo of trichomes (https://www.kennebecanalytical.com/blog/what-are-terpenes-and-what-do-they-do ). They will be in Portland at the lavender conference USLGA.


In the Kennebec link which shows a chromatogram of terpenoids in a standard mix and a representative Cannabis sample. They identified 90+ terpenoids which helps to explain why it is so difficult to properly analyze samples.


The bottom line is that terpenes, as well as other chemicals that dictate the different aromas, are not easy to quantify, nor do they know how many and which ones cause the specific aroma or the other health benefits. As the government here releases some restrictions, we will hopefully learn more. For now, I think we need to listen to our nose and rest of the body to determine what really works for the individual. Taking David and Jeremy’s cannabis health class thru Clark College is a great way to learn more. I personally have taken it 3 or 4 times and learn more each time.


As mentioned earlier, I really love the skunky smell of cannabis and recently found a lavender plant with a similar aroma. Jeremy’s citation on FB mentions Dr. Iain Oswald, principal scientist at Abstrax Tech researching that skunky odor. I want to know more and will pursue that for a future article here.


Papers cited:

Joshua T. Polito B. Markus Lange . 2022. Standard operating procedures for the comprehensive and reliable analysis of cannabis terpenes. Methods in Enzymology

In Press, Corrected Proof


Anna Shapira, Paula Berman, Kate Futoran, Ohad Guberman, and David Meiri. 2019. Tandem Mass Spectrometric Quantification of 93 Terpenoids in Cannabis Using Static Headspace Injections. Analytical Chemistry 2019 91 (17), 11425-11432. DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b02844 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.analchem.9b02844


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