FORT COLLINS, Colorado, July 10, 2018 -- Headspace Sensory LLC’s groundbreaking sniff-study of cannabis strain aroma, published just five months ago in PLOS ONE, has already been downloaded over 500 times and viewed nearly 3,000 times.
Company found Avery N. Gilbert, PhD, attributes the attention the study is receiving to a larger trend in cannabis science. “In recent months, there have been large-scale studies looking at strain differences in genetics, terpene content, and cannabinoid levels. Our work on aroma profiles fits into this bigger picture.”
Gilbert believes the new, data-driven approach will have a major impact on the traditional way of classifying cannabis cultivars. “Until now, standard practice has been to describe strains as being sativa, indica, or a hybrid type. These classifications aren’t based on a clear, objective standard, but on received wisdom, oral history, and proprietary knowledge, all of which vary greatly in reliability. The new science shows that the sativa / indica / hybrid framework is pretty flimsy. There are other, more objective ways to characterize strains, using chemical, genetic, and sensory data.”
Despite approaching strain differences from completely different scientific directions, the new studies arrive at a similar conclusion. Says Gilbert, “There are over 600 named cultivars that display an enormous range of chemistry, genetics, and aroma. Yet these new studies converge on one theme: strains can be organized into a handful of groups–two to five, depending on the variable measured. There is great diversity in cannabis, but the underlying patterns are fairly simple.”
Gilbert expects that the new science will change how cannabis is described and marketed. “The industry has been trapped in sativa / indica / hybrid thinking for a long time. The new data opens up alternative and possibly more useful ways to characterize a strain. It could make it easier for consumers to find their way to a strain that’s right for them. It will give the industry more accurate, yet more nuanced, means to describe the product. It’s going to be exciting.”
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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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