This new review dives into the aromas and flavors of marijuana. It examines how genetic makeup, plant cultivation and processing after harvest affects the different compounds that gives cannabis products their distinct taste.
It says that the goal is to support advancements in breeding, improve product quality, and guide further research into cannabis sensory science.
A wide array of molecules—terpenes, flavonoids, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, esthers and sulfer-containing compounds—are behind the sensory profiles of cannabis, the study explains. Terpenes contribute the majority of the aroma of the cannabis plant. However, the authors note that new findings about other compounds have “challenged the conventional focus of terpenes on the main determinants for aroma.” This highlights the important role of volatiles to shaping the complex aromatic profile of marijuana.
Production of those chemicals is determined through both a plant’s genes as well as its metabolic and environmental conditions, the review adds, meaning that maintaining “robust agricultural properties―such as optimized nutrient and water use, temperature tolerance, pest resistance, and shortened growth cycles—remains critical even as breeders reconfigure cannabinoid and aroma profiles.”
It says that “while modifications in flavor and cannabinoid contents can enhance product quality,” there is growing evidence to suggest these traits have a direct impact on plant stress response and overall cultivation performance.
These sensory attributes are the result of a complex interplay between genetic, biochemical, and environmental factors. Terpenes, flavonoids, and other volatile compounds play a central role. This complex combination of genetics, biochemistry, and environment factors results in these unique sensory qualities. Terpenes flavonoids and other volatile components play a central role.
Genetic manipulation and post-harvest techniques can be used to modify plants. By optimizing the variables, the review says “it’s possible to improve the profiles of flavor and aroma compounds.”
While gene-editing technology can revise the foundational makeup of cannabis plants, various environmental factors—ranging from differences in light wavelengths, soil composition and water availability, among others—can also significantly affect terpene levels, it continues, highlighting the roles of UV light and various soil nutrients.
“Combining these methods―genetic selection, optimized cultivation practices, and meticulous post-harvest techniques―yields the most effective results,” authors wrote in the new paper. The authors wrote, “For instance, by selecting cannabis varieties that have high terpene levels, using specific light and nutrition regimens to cultivate them, and using exact drying and curing techniques, we can enhance the flavor and aroma of marijuana.”
This review was written by independent scientists from Switzerland, Germany, and Spain, along with the founding director of SeedCraft’s Spanish firm. It appeared in Molecules, a journal, late last month.
The article states that “by leveraging the advances in genetics agronomy and post-harvest processing, it’s possible to enhance not only the terpene profiles but also preserve them.” C. sativa “L. L. is a pioneer in the field of sensory enhancement for the consumer and the expansion of applications both in the medical and recreational contexts.”
The compounds that give cannabis its aroma and taste are susceptible to degrading due to factors such as light, heat and oxygen. When products are heated, many volatile chemicals are destroyed.
The paper states that “UV light and other wavelengths of light can catalyze reactions leading to photochemical breakdowns of terpenes.” This leads to undesirable byproducts. Under UV light, for example, limonene may oxidize to terpinolene, or its oxidized derivatives. This can alter the citrusy smell.
The article continues: “Oxidization not only reduces the terpenes concentrations but also creates compounds with other sensory properties such as alcohols and ketones which can change the aromatic qualities and perceived taste of cannabis products.”
The preservation strategy may include new packing techniques, cooling or freezing the product, removing air from its packaging, freeze drying or so-called “microencapsulation” or “nanoencapsulation”, where compounds of interest are embedded into protective carriers.
The authors of the study wrote that cannabis growers, as well as others, would benefit from the standardization practice in the wine, tea, and coffee industries. “Consumers get a tool for matching preferences to effects while researchers gain a system to aid data comparisons and advance the scientific understanding on the aroma and taste of marijuana.”
The researchers have also created a map that visualizes the various flavor and scent descriptors for commercially available Terpenes. According to the study, “for instance, descriptors such as floral, lavender, citrus, and lemon are frequently associated with linalool. Pine, earthy, and woody tend to be used in conjunction with pinene.
In the review’s conclusion, researchers say that future research will “continue to investigate the interaction between compounds, environmental factors which influence their production, as well as the development of preservation methods to preserve their stability.” Authors also state “the application of cutting edge technologies such a synthetic biology and computer modeling holds promise to optimize aroma and flavor profiles, while ensuring consistency of product quality.”
The paper states that while “a comprehensive aroma wheel” is “desirable in the field”, developing one could be difficult. It is suggested that a comprehensive study including different strains of plants, sensory panelists and detailed metabolomic analyses is necessary to guarantee accurate representation.
This review emphasizes the complexity and importance of cannabis flavor and aroma, and the need to continue collaboration between researchers. By addressing these issues, the cannabis industry can open up new possibilities for scientific research and product development.
A separate study by a California graduate student, meanwhile, recently found that incentives in the legal marijuana market—such as the desire for plants to mature faster and produce more cannabinoids for extraction—may be leading to a decline in global biodiversity of the plant.
This paper notes that although humans have selectively selected cannabis plants for thousands of generations, the breeders of the “post-prohibition era” have optimized for certain traits. These include a higher proportion of flowering stems as opposed to leaves or stalks, maximum cannabinoid levels, an “ideal suite” of aromatic Terpenes and reproducible chemical profil.
Researchers are continuing to uncover new secrets of the cannabis plant despite the upswing that marijuana research has experienced in the years following prohibition. Researchers earlier this year, for example, announced that they successfully identified a new cannabinoid—cannabielsoxa—produced by the marijuana plant as well as a number of other compounds “reported for the first time from the flowers of C. sativa.”
Other research in 2023, published by the American Chemical Society, identified “previously undiscovered cannabis compounds” that challenged conventional wisdom of what really gives cannabis varieties their unique olfactory profiles.
As for other recent cannabis research, scientists reported in May that they identified 33 “significant markers” in the cannabis genome that “significantly influence cannabinoid production”—a finding they say promises to drive the development of new plant varieties with specific cannabinoid profiles.
The paper cited a set of “massive genes” on one chromosome, which involved 60 Megabases (Mb), and were associated with cannabis strains that are THC dominant.
In the article it was stated that “the results provide valuable advice for Cannabis Breeding programs using precise genetic markers can be used to refine and select promising Cannabis varieties.”
The research in marijuana is exploding as more and more states have made it legal for both medical and adult purposes. However, the Trump administration has not yet revealed how its priorities will influence this trend.
For example, under the new administration, “marijuana” is also now one of nearly two dozen “controversial or high-profile topics” that staff and researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are required to clear with higher-ups before writing about.
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