New family of aroma compounds found in cannabis

An analytical system provided by SepSolve aided this breakthrough in cannabis research

2 Jan 2022
Dora Wells
Clinical Content Editor

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™ mass spectrometer, flame ionization 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.

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Oswald I, Ojeda M, Pobanz R, Koby K, Buchanan A, Del Rosso J, Guzman M and Martin T. 2021. Identification of a New Family of Prenylated Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Cannabis Revealed by Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography. ACS Omega, 6(47), 31667-31676.

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