// Science · Glossary

Multi-Product Terpene Synthases

⚗️ Science First mentioned: Ep. 114

Enzymes in cannabis that produce multiple terpene products rather than a single compound. For example, limonene synthase also produces other terpenes, and alpha-pinene synthase and myrcene synthase each generate several products. Cannabis contains upwards of 100 terpene synthases, with many being multi-product enzymes, which contributes to the plant's complex aromatic profiles.

This multi-product nature makes mapping terpene production to specific genes more complex than a simple one-gene-one-terpene model. Cannabis is not unique in making terpenes - all plants do - but its diversity of terpene synthases is remarkable.

Ep. 114 Hash Church CXI 111