Terpenes add enticing aromas, therapeutic benefits, and sensory properties to hemp and cannabis strains. That’s why ACS Laboratory quantifies 38 terpenes in its comprehensive profiling panel. ACS’ advanced terpene testing methods and equipment allow brands to understand their product’s chemical profile and synergistic properties. This information helps brands fine-tune formulations, ensure consistency, and stand out in a competitive market.
This article investigates ACS Laboratory’s terpene testing process and its support for hemp and cannabis innovation.
What Is Terpene Testing?
Terpene testing quantifies the levels of terpenes in cannabis and cannabis-based products. Terpenes are the natural chemical compounds and essential oils that give cannabis its distinct aroma, flavor, and therapeutic qualities.
Thousands of terpenes exist in nature, and over 200 occur in the cannabis plant. They exist in relatively low amounts in hemp and cannabis plants, often hovering in concentrations around 2% compared to 10% to 30% for cannabinoids like THC and CBD. Yet these minor compounds play a major role in the plant's effects. Some of the most common terpenes include limonene, myrcene, and pinene, with scents ranging from citrus to pine-fresh.
Why Is Terpene Testing Important?
Terpene testing is essential because it accurately portrays the strain’s entire composition. This information provides brands with the tools they need to educate consumers, craft better products, focus their marketing, and maintain safety and quality.
Helps consumers choose products
Terpene testing helps brands communicate the distinct characteristics of each strain, making the product selection process easier and more effective for consumers.
- Customers looking for more energy might lean toward strains featuring pinene and ocimene, which are uplifting and more abundant in stimulating Sativa strains.
- People seeking relaxation will appreciate strains featuring linalool. Linalool releases serotonin, the “happiness hormone,” helping people feel calmer and sleep better.
Enhance strains’ therapeutic properties
Terpenes also work with cannabinoids like THC and CBD to enhance strains’ therapeutic properties. For example:
Ensures strains meet scent and quality expectations
Customers expect cannabis flower and full-spectrum strains to have bold, appealing scents. Connoisseurs, in particular, look for colorful strains with frosty trichomes. Only terpene testing can confirm these strains will produce the qualities fans desire.
Key benefits of terpene-rich strains include:
- Enhanced aroma: Terpene testing verifies the exact compounds that create a strain’s signature scent. For example, limonene contributes a citrusy, lemon-like aroma, while linalool adds a lavender scent. In strains like Sour Diesel, high levels of myrcene and terpinolene produce a pungent, diesel-like smell that fans expect.
- Flavor complexity: Terpene profiling ensures that strains deliver the complex flavors consumers expect, such as the lemony zest of Super Lemon Haze or the earthy, pine-like flavors of Jack Herer.
- Potency and synergy: Terpene testing proves the presence of specific terpenes that synergize with cannabinoids to optimize their therapeutic properties. For instance, myrcene boosts the sedative properties of THC, while pinene may promote alertness and counteract some of THC’s cognitive effects.
- Frosty trichomes: Terpene testing ensures strains have the right terpene levels to promote trichome production. Terpene-rich strains typically produce more resinous, frosty trichomes, giving the flower a desirable, high-quality appearance.
When to Test for Terpenes
Brands must test hemp and cannabis for terpenes throughout every development stage to ensure the final product meets their quality standards.
Pre-harvest Terpene Testing:
Factors like temperature, nutrients, sunlight, and growing medium all impact terpene development. By testing throughout cultivation, growers can adjust these factors to enhance the desired terpene profile. This ensures consistency and quality, even when the same strain grows in different environments, such as indoors versus outdoors.
Post-harvest Flower and Extract Testing:
After harvest, terpene testing helps verify that the drying, curing, and extraction processes have preserved the desired terpene profile. Testing flower ensures it retains its aromatic potency, while extract testing guarantees that terpene-rich concentrates meet quality expectations. This step is crucial for maintaining full-spectrum products' integrity, where cannabinoids and terpenes work together to enhance the consumer experience.
ACS Laboratory’s Terpene Testing Expertise
ACS Laboratory is a trailblazer in terpene profiling and product innovation. Its deep scientific team quantifies 38 compounds, including many terpenes that other labs don’t:
Terpene profiling with ACS encompasses virtually all product types, including plant biomass, flower, and finished goods, such as:
- Cannabis flower
- Edibles (such as gummies and chocolate)
- Vapes
- Concentrates
- Extracts
- Tinctures
- Beverages and nano cannabis emulsions
- Topicals (such as skin creams and transdermal patches)
Advanced equipment and methods
ACS Laboratory employs advanced terpene testing techniques to account for these compounds' scant quantities and volatile nature.
- Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) is an analytical testing method ideal for identifying different substances within a liquid or volatile sample.
- Gas Chromatography coupled with a Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) is another valuable tool for detecting and quantifying organic compounds like terpenes.
ACS Laboratory also uses cutting-edge software to generate a distinctive COA (certificate of analysis). This certified document, available on product labels via a QR code, authenticates testing results and lists the concentrations of all tested cannabinoids and terpenes.
Innovative partnerships
ACS Laboratory goes beyond basic testing by collaborating with brands to support their growth and development. For example, ACS worked with Boveda to test its Original Terpene Shield, ensuring it prevents terpene degradation during storage. These collaborations help brands refine their offerings, improve consistency, and stay ahead in the competitive cannabis market.
The Bottom Line
Terpene testing with ACS Laboratory is crucial for optimizing sales and consumer experiences. Accurate terpene testing also allows for cultivating and developing new, high-quality products that offer reliable therapeutic effects.
Validate your strain’s unique aroma and effects with ACS Laboratory’s terpene testing—get started today.
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