New Family of Aroma Compounds Found in Cannabis
27 November 2021
ACS Omega
Cannabis aroma is so complex, the volatile organic compounds responsible for its characteristic ‘skunk-like’ smell have eluded researchers until now. A recently published paper describes the discovery of a new family of volatile sulfur compounds in cannabis, which were proved to be responsible for its pungent aroma, using two-dimensional gas chromatography.
The paper was co-authored by Abstrax Tech, a company that develops cannabis- and botanically-derived terpenes, and SepSolve Analytical.
The analytical system used in the study was custom-built by SepSolve and consists of a Centri® sample extraction and enrichment platform coupled with a two-dimensional gas chromatograph, BenchTOF™ time-of-flight mass spectrometer, flame ionisation detector and sulfur chemiluminescence detector.
The paper – Identification of new family of prenylated volatile sulfur compounds in cannabis revealed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography – demonstrates that the data acquired using this approach could lead to a full elucidation of the biosynthetic pathways and medicinal benefits of different cannabis strains.
Oswald, I. W. H.; Ojeda, M. A.; Pobanz, R. J.; Koby, K. A.; Buchanan, A. J.; Del Rosso, J.; Guzman, M. A.; Martin, T. J. Identification of New Family of Prenylated Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Cannabis Revealed by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography. ACS Omega. 2021, Article ASAP.