FORT COLLINS, Colorado, April 18, 2018 -- Headspace Sensory LLC announced today that founder Avery N. Gilbert, PhD, will present results of a new study of cannabis strain aroma today at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences in Bonita Springs, Florida.
The new study follows Headspace Sensory’s ground-breaking report published February 5th in the peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal PLOS ONE. That study found that cannabis consumers can reliably describe the aroma of different cannabis strains such as Durban Poison and Lemon Diesel, when using a check-all-that-apply ballot of odor adjectives.
According to Gilbert, the new study confirms and extends the original results. “We asked regular consumers to sniff dried flower, but this time they rated each odor descriptor on a numerical scale. This gives us better precision in creating strain-specific aroma profiles.”
The rating technique in the new study is one widely used in the fragrance and flavor industry to quantify consumer impressions of smell and taste. It enables researchers to determine how even closely similar aroma profiles differ from one another in small but telling ways.
Gilbert says the new results will enable Headspace Sensory to commercialize a proprietary aroma rating system for cannabis. “We can give consumers, growers, and retailers a reliable way to discuss each strain in terms of sensory impression. Smell is central to the cannabis purchase and use experience, but until now its been done informally and subjectively.”
Beyond improving the retail experience—especially online, where pre-purchase sniffing is not possible—Gilbert hopes to elevate the conversation about cannabis. “The aroma differences from strain to strain are simply remarkable. I want to see the aesthetics of cannabis talked about at the same level we discuss beer and wine.”
The study reported here, “Quantitative Sensory Description of Strain-specific Cannabis Aroma Profiles,” was carried out by smell scientist Dr. Avery N. Gilbert and analytical chemist Dr. Joseph A. DiVerdi. It will be presented at the poster session on Wednesday evening, April 18, 2018.
A PDF of the poster can be downloaded here.
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About Headspace Sensory, LLC
Headspace Sensory is a privately held startup based in Fort Collins, Colorado, founded in 2016 by well-known smell psychologist and entrepreneur Avery N. Gilbert, PhD. The company is pioneering the sensory evaluation of cannabis to bring consumers, growers, and dispensaries into the conversation about strain-specific aroma. It uses quantitative methods and an authoritative olfactory lexicon to create data-based aroma profiles for dried cannabis flower for many of the most popular commercial strains.
For more information about Headspace Sensory, visit http://www.headspacesensory.com
Send media inquiries to media@headspacesensory.com
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