Terpenes account for the tastes and scents not only in cannabis, but commonly in hops, wine, and essential oils. Terpene profiles change quickly and are easily noticed when cannabis becomes “stale.”
Terpenes also have medicinal qualities so they shape the cannabis experience in multiple ways. Profiling terpenes offers more guidance than potency alone on how the medicine will affect the patient.
Lemon OG? Lavender Haze? d-Limonene smells like lemons and Linalool like lavender. Know exactly what you like, but can’t keep track of all the strains? Start checking out the dominant terpenes!
Since terpenes are generally more volatile than cannabinoids, we use a headspace sampler to separate them from the heavier cannabinoids and plant material. This is the best way to preserve the terpene profile.
We test for the following terpenes by GC-FID (Headspace):
- alpha-Bisabolol
- Camphene
- delta-3-Carene
- beta-Caryophyllene
- Geraniol
- (-)-Guaiol
- alpha-Humulene
- p-Isopropyltoluene (p-cymene)
- (-)-Isopulegol
- d-Limonene
- Linalool
- beta-Myrcene
- Nerolidol
- Ocimene
- alpha-Pinene
- (-)-beta-Pinene
- alpha-Terpinene
- gamma-Terpinene
- Terpinolene