Cannabis has always been more than THC percentages or strain names on a jar. Behind every aroma, flavor, and effect lies a complex chemical story scientists are only beginning to unravel. Today, breakthroughs in breeding, cultivation, and post-harvest processing are pushing the plant into uncharted territory. From elusive compounds that shape scent in surprising ways to the overlooked role of preservation after harvest, researchers and cultivators are piecing together a new understanding of what defines quality and how to protect it.
What’s next for the plant? Its wellness and therapeutic potential are driving advances across science, breeding, cultivation, and extraction, setting the stage for next-generation products aimed at an increasingly sophisticated consumer market.
Beyond terpenes: the rise of volatile organic compounds
While the industry has made significant strides in understanding and commercializing a variety of cannabinoids, the next wave of innovation is emerging from low-concentration volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds gained attention following the recent publication of a three-volume white paper, The Science of Exotics, by Abstrax Tech.
Abstrax’s peer-reviewed research confirms what cultivators, extractors, and scientists long have observed: Elusive minor VOCs, not terpenes alone, drive the plant’s distinctive aromas. Abstrax, which specializes in terpene research and formulation development, has identified hundreds of low-concentration molecules including esters, alcohols, aldehydes, heteroaromatics, ketones, and sulfur compounds that produce potent, unique aromas. By shifting from subjective human olfaction to scientifically validated aroma markers, the company created a roadmap that could fundamentally reshape breeding, cultivation, extraction, and product development.
The influence these organic compounds exert on aroma intensity compared to terpenes helps explain how two strains with nearly identical terpene profiles can smell very different. For example, even when limonene is dominant in a strain, that terpene’s presence doesn’t necessarily translate to a citrus scent. The perceived aroma is driven by how the minor compounds are expressed and interact with other constituents.
To prove this, Abstrax employed gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to conduct advanced chemovar analysis, which resulted in the identification of more than 400 compounds. In one study, researchers analyzed five ice-water hash rosin extracts from genetically similar phenotypes. Despite their genetic similarities, the extracts exhibited distinct aroma profiles determined not by dominant terpenes but by rare compounds such as 3-mercaptohexyl hexanoate and cheese-scented fatty acids. When correlated with sensory-panel data, the results highlighted the critical role of low-abundance compounds in strain differentiation and the potential for advanced product development.
“There are so many different genetic expressions, and understanding this chemistry will help breeders select phenotypes, cultivators optimize harvests, and operators fine-tune the plant during curing or extraction,” said TJ Martin, vice president of research and development at Abstrax and lead author of the study’s results. “Our research highlights which compounds to focus on for optimizing processes by following the right chemistries. Sensory analysis is still critical, and human senses remain incredibly relevant; however, with this additional layer of knowledge, brands have more tools than ever to innovate and refine products.”
According to Kevin Jodrey, a cultivator and co-founder of Cookies’ research and development lab, “If you know cannabis chemistry, you know about these secondary metabolites; it’s nothing new. What Abstrax is doing by mapping and showing these chemical pathways will help breeders and cultivators manipulate the plant by taking the guesswork out. Their research not only advances the science but also brings it into the public sphere.”
Jodrey said terpenes are relatively easy to detect because they occur in high concentrations, which explains why brands often focus on them when differentiating products. “Terpenes are molecularly bonded more heavily and remain present longer,” he explained. “That means it’s easier to test a plant and pick up terpenes than [to detect] a volatile alcohol, which has delicate molecular bonds that break easily and only appear in nanogram or microgram amounts.” But the minor compounds may offer effects and benefits science has yet to uncover.
Like other plant properties, aroma results from a complex interplay of volatile organic compounds, terroir, production methods, and environmental factors, Jodrey explained. Even minor adjustments, such as switching grow lights to a blue spectrum, can influence how plants express their metabolites. “There’s a very complicated relationship between what we do as cultivators, what the process brings to the table, and how the plants respond to everything,” he said.
The art and science of curing
Joe Edwards, chief science officer at Deconix and an expert in post-harvest processing, emphasizes the critical role of drying and curing in producing high-quality, consistent cannabis products. While breeding and cultivation determine a plant’s potential, the curing process dictates the final expression of terpenes, cannabinoids, and overall sensory appeal.
Traditional methods, such as bucket and bin curing, remain common across the industry but lack the precision needed for consistency. The result? Variations in aroma, flavor, and potency occur even when starting with the same cultivar. “The key challenge is shifting from a subjective, art-based approach to an objective, science-driven one,” Edwards said. “Analytical testing is the answer, but it’s expensive, and most companies only test at the end of the curing process. More frequent testing throughout the curing process could help standardize outcomes and eliminate guesswork.”
Just as important, he said, not all cultivars should be cured under the same conditions. “Some cultivars may need just three days of curing, while others require more,” he said. “Like aging fine wine or whiskey, the goal is to highlight the unique characteristics of each variety rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Yet, while curing is crucial, terpene formation begins long before drying starts. “We’re not gaining more terpenes during curing,” Edwards explained. “Terpenes are synthesized during the plant’s initial biosynthesis phase when enzymatic reactions break down compounds and create volatile organic compounds and acids.” Curing, therefore, is less about creating new compounds than preserving and refining what the plant has already produced.
He compared terpene maturation to adjusting a soundboard in a recording studio. “You can push all the dials up, but it might be an atrocious sound,” he said. “As some tones settle and balance out, you get beautiful music. Terpene development works the same way. It’s about fine-tuning, not amplifying everything at once.”
When hidden notes emerge
Marshall Ligare, PhD, an analytical chemist and former product development lead at hops research powerhouse John I. Haas, believes cannabis operations are just scratching the surface when it comes to understanding the biochemistry of VOCs and how to preserve them. The plant may seem like it has complex aromas in both live and dried forms, but as Ligare pointed out, many of the subtler compounds are never unlocked. Much as in hops, VOCs that are important to the cannabis experience often exist in dormant, bound states, locked inside the plant until something — a chemical trigger, enzymatic activity, or oxidation — sets them free. That’s why flower’s scent can shift dramatically after harvest, curing, or processing: The plant undergoes a chemical transformation at each of those stages.
Ligare outlined a structured experimental approach to uncover how organic compounds behave by tracking them at every stage of the plant’s life cycle. Researchers, he explained, should measure VOCs during cultivation, at multiple harvest points, throughout drying and curing, and again after different extraction or processing methods to chart their chemical journey. Each step acts as a “checkpoint,” capturing how compounds stabilize, degrade, or transform and how those shifts ultimately shape the plant’s aromatic identity.
The cold truth about preservation
While researchers and breeders push the science of aroma forward, one weak link remains: preservation. Too often, the gains made in the grow room and curing shed are lost in warehouses and trucks and on store shelves.
Alec Dixon, co-founder of SC Labs and a longtime Emerald Cup judge, believes preservation and transportation represent risks that must be addressed. “The industry is not paying attention to preservation and the cold supply chain of custody required to maintain a premium product,” he said. “The infrastructure just isn’t there yet.
“People treat cabbage better than they treat cannabis,” he continued. “When you treat cannabis like cabbage, kept cold and protected, you’re able to preserve the volatile compounds that define quality, stickiness, and that moment when you open a jar and it bombs the neighborhood.”
Temperature control is paramount. According to Dixon, exposing flower to temperatures above 60℉ at any point between harvest and consumer purchase destroys valuable VOCs. “If those aromatics are gone, there’s no more value in calling it a craft product,” he said. “By the time the customer buys the product, the taste, flavor, and entourage effect are gone.”
SC Labs’ Emerald Cup testing backs up the assertion. Since 2013, Dixon and his team have tracked the average cannabinoid content across all Emerald Cup entries, including the top twenty selected for the coveted awards. “The THC level has nothing to do with who wins,” he revealed. “What always stands out is terpene content. Winners consistently have higher terpene levels, most likely boosted by minor compounds. Terpenes, not cannabinoids, are the predictive indicator of what makes a competition winner.
“If you smoke a particular cannabis varietal rich in terpenes and other trace aromatics are present and preserved in the flower, the flavor, aroma, and entourage effects are going to be substantial,” he continued. “That’s what people are really looking for and what stands out among the most expert judges and connoisseurs in the space.”
He also pointed out the most successful brands he has seen are not the ones focused on scaling production, but those investing in VOC preservation infrastructure. “The brands that build loyalty are the ones treating herb like cabbage and protecting it with a real cold chain,” he said.
Dixon suggested the supply chain embrace the same tools already standard in agriculture. Employing artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, and 5G will help cultivators monitor and document the “cold chain” from farm to shelf. “If you build preservation into your supply chain, you’re almost guaranteeing the best consumer experience,” he said.
According to Dixon, the stakes couldn’t be higher. “Without a preservation strategy, the industry faces a slow loss of customer satisfaction,” he warned. “By the time brands realize they need to treat cannabis like produce, it may be too late. Farmers invest their lives in growing this herb perfectly, but once it leaves their hands 80 percent of the value is lost. Shelf life is determined by how it’s treated on the way to the consumer.”
Unlocking cannabis’s aromatic future
When science, curing, and preservation work in harmony, consumers finally experience cannabis the way cultivators intend: vibrant, aromatic, and true to its genetics. That possibility is closer than ever.
Lessons from Perfume: What Cannabis Can Learn from Fragrance Design
Avery Gilbert, PhD, a sensory scientist who has worked with some of the world’s top fragrance houses, believes cannabis has much to learn from perfumery. “Perfumers have been doing with volatile organic compounds what cannabis brands are only starting to do,” he said. “They use terpenes, esters, aldehydes, sulfur compounds . . . hundreds of molecules, both natural and synthetic, to formulate fragrances with depth, subtlety, and originality.”
At the core of perfume design is an understanding of volatility. “Every molecule has its own rate of evaporation,” Gilbert said. “A perfumer choreographs those rates so the scent evolves. First, you get the top notes, then the heart notes, and then the base that lingers for hours. That evolution is what makes a fragrance feel alive.”
Cannabis, Gilbert argued, is only beginning to explore this level of sophistication. “For a decade, I’ve been saying you can’t get too skunky from terpenes,” he said. “You need trace-level sulfur-containing molecules. Same with the tropical-fruit notes. These are what move you from a generic cannabis profile to one that has a distinctive, strain-specific character or one that is completely unique.”
Gilbert believes a layering approach could produce a luxury future for branding and product development. Just as niche perfume houses thrive on originality and risk-taking, cannabis brands could differentiate by embracing blending. “Blending enlarges the space for aesthetics,” he said. “It’s where the mystique of a true luxury brand can come from. If you can design aroma the way perfumers do, you won’t be selling just cannabis. You’ll be selling an experience.”
Aroma, Curing, and Preservation: Key Questions Answered
What are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cannabis?
VOCs are trace-level molecules like esters, aldehydes, and sulfur compounds that shape cannabis aroma and flavor far beyond terpenes alone.
Why is curing so important for cannabis quality?
Curing preserves delicate aromatics and stabilizes cannabinoids, helping each cultivar reach its optimal flavor and potency profile.
How does temperature affect cannabis preservation?
Exposure to temperatures above 60°F can destroy valuable VOCs and terpenes, dramatically reducing a product’s aroma and effects.
What can cannabis learn from perfume science?
Like perfumers, cannabis developers can layer volatile compounds to craft more nuanced, distinctive aromatic experiences.
Related Articles:
