Cheese, vomit and poop are proper ways to describe the aromatic qualities of certain hemp and marijuana strains, according to a handful of researchers from Oregon State University.
They recently completed a study in partnership with a panel of sensory specialists that divided an assortment of the world’s cultivars into four major aroma families. Namely, fruity, berry candy and cakey; citrus and chemical; earthy, musty, straw, black tea, skunky, nutty/toasted bread + woody; and “cheesy + vomit/fecal.”
“We now have a useful list of words to describe the aroma of cannabis,” said author Adrianne R. Wilson-Poe.
These aromatic categories were delineated after the cohort of American bud sniffers created a lexicon comprised of 25 different aroma terms. They evaluated a total of 91 samples grown in the United States and Switzerland.
“Sample selection by cannabis industry professionals ensured a diverse and market-representative set,” the authors stated.
Thomas Shellhammer, a professor of fermentation science at OSU and one of the authors, says that the aroma of marijuana is arguably more important than the potency than many focus on. Also, a superior predictor of quality.
“Using trained sensory panels and high-resolution chemical analyses [terpenes and volatile sulfur compounds], we identified four major aromatic archetypes that transcend legal classifications of cannabis [high THC] and hemp [low THC],” he described.
The group of scent experts documented their extensive findings in the peer-reviewed Public Library of Science (PLOS) One journal on Oct. 21. Fifty-nine of the samples had THC content below 0.3 per cent in compliance with the Farm Bill and the other 32 had a significantly higher concentration.
The latter, smaller group of samples were not evaluated at the university. They were carefully smelt at a local dispensary instead to ensure legal and state-compliant handling, as specified in the assessment. Public universities in the U.S. are not permitted to have cannabis on their campuses because they are recipients of federal funding and must adhere to federal regulations. This applies regardless of the fact that adult-use is legal in the state.
“Articulating a distilled list of aroma descriptors, expressed in common language yet grounded in sensory science and sensomics validation, has the potential to transform how consumers understand and connect with this plant and its products,” stated contributor Jeremy Plumb.
In their conclusion, the researchers explained that the lexicon should be expanded to include more designated scents and that future assessments should utilize a larger sample size to achieve such an expansion.
The lexicon. Credit: PLOS One
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