// Science · Glossary

Odor Threshold

⚗️ Science First mentioned: Ep. 228

The minimum concentration of a volatile compound required for detection by the human nose. Many sulfur compounds in cannabis have extraordinarily low odor thresholds, meaning they produce powerful aromas at parts-per-billion or even parts-per-trillion concentrations.

Ian from Abstrax discussed how compounds like grapefruit mercaptan and 3-MH (3-mercaptohexanol) have such low odor thresholds that tiny volumes dominate the aroma profile. He recounted how their aromatic chemist brought out a single drop of a thiol standard on a pin and the entire lab had to be evacuated for hours. This explains why VSCs can define a cultivar's smell despite being present at trace levels.

Ep. 228 Aromatic Volatiles Deep Dive