The most dominant was a molecule called prenylation, or 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, that gives “skunked beer” its notorious flavor (SN: 11/27/05). ... The discovery of prenylation in marijuana, Gilbert says, is the first step to masking its nuisance odor — or maximizing its perversely pleasant stink.
Scientists have finally sniffed out the molecules in the back of marijuana’s skunky aroma.
The heady bouquet that wafts off of fresh weed is truly a cocktail of masses of fragrant compounds. The most outstanding floral, citrusy and piney overtones come from a common class of molecules referred to as terpenes, says analytical chemist Iain Oswald of Abstrax Tech, a private company in Tustin, Calif., that develops terpenes for cannabis merchandise (SN: 4/30/18). But the source of that funky ganja notice has been difficult to pin down.
Now, an analysis is the first to discover a set of sulfur compounds in hashish that account for the skunklike scent, researchers file November 12 in ACS Omega.
Oswald and colleagues had a slump that the wrongdoer may additionally incorporate sulfur, a pungent detail located in hops and skunk spray. So the crew started by rating the skunk issue of vegetation harvested from more than a dozen sorts of Cannabis sativa on a scale from 0 to ten, with 10 being the maximum stinky. Next, the crew created a “chemical fingerprint” of the airborne additives that contributed to every cultivar’s specific fragrance through the use of gasoline chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and a sulfur chemiluminescence detector.
As suspected, the researchers found small amounts of several fragrant sulfur compounds lurking inside the olfactory profiles of the smelliest cultivars. The maximum dominant changed into a molecule called prenylation, or 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, that offers “skunked beer” its notorious flavor (SN: eleven/27/05).
The sulfur compounds were determined in nature, however in no way earlier than in hashish, says Amber Wise, an analytical chemist with Medicine Creek Analytics in Fife, Wash., who was not involved inside the look at.
Oswald become amazed to locate that prenylation and among the different sulfurous suspects in cannabis proportion structural similarities with molecules located in garlic. And like these alliaceous analogs, a touch goes a long way.
These compounds “can be in very low concentrations on the flower, however nonetheless make a large effect at the smell,” Oswald says. The sulfur molecules are most ample in cannabis flora after they attain adulthood and at some stage in the curing technique.
Smell psychologist Avery Gilbert of Headspace Sensory, a startup organization in Fort Collins, Colo., that focuses on quantifying the various scents of cannabis, is excited to see the molecules delivered to marijuana’s chemical repertoire. “The spectrum of hashish smell is just terrific,” he says. “I think it beats the pants off of wine.”
The discovery of prenylation in marijuana, Gilbert says, is the first step to covering its nuisance scent — or maximizing its perversely first-rate stink.
Prenylthiol has a “polarizing scent,” Oswald says. While many human beings suppose it reeks, a few hashish customers will pay top dollar for skunky grass, which a few do not forget a hallmark of excellence.
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