Valencene is a bicyclic sesquiterpene first isolated from Valencia orange oil. It smells sweet, citrus and woody, a softer, longer-lasting orange note than limonene. Because it is a C15 compound, it is far less volatile than the C10 citrus terpenes, which is why the flavour industry values it as a lasting orange note.
In practice
In cannabis, valencene is usually minor, from not detected to around 0.1% w/wbeing reviewed. Cultivars described as "orange" or "tangerine" may carry it, but citrus aroma in cannabis often comes from limonene, terpinolene or non-terpene compounds as well. Only a terpene test that includes valencene will show it; many basic panels don't.
Don't confuse with
- Limonene: the main citrus monoterpene, more volatile.
- Nootkatone: grapefruit ketone made by oxidising valencene; rarely reported in cannabis.
- Valerian: a plant, not a terpene.
A sesquiterpene is a fifteen-carbon terpene made from farnesyl pyrophosphate, such as beta-caryophyllene, humulene and bisabolol; they are heavier and less volatile than monoterpenes.Limonene is a monoterpene with a citrus aroma, found in citrus peel and many cannabis cultivars, where it is often among the top three terpenes.Terpenes are volatile hydrocarbon compounds built from five-carbon isoprene units; in cannabis they are made in the trichome heads and are a major part of aroma and flavour.ND (non-detect) on a COA means the compound was not found at or above the method's limit of detection; it does not mean the amount is zero.Terpinolene is a monoterpene with a fresh, herbal, piney-citrus-floral aroma that dominates a distinctive, less common cannabis chemotype.A terpene test measures the individual terpenes and total terpene content of a sample, usually by GC-FID or GC-MS, reported in % w/w or mg/g.A monoterpene is a ten-carbon terpene made from geranyl pyrophosphate, such as myrcene, limonene, pinene or terpinolene; they are the most volatile terpenes and the first lost in drying.A terpene profile is the measured mix of terpenes in a sample, reported as each compound's % w/w and the total, used to describe and compare cultivar aroma chemistry.
