The Terpene Profile of the Apple

The weather is beginning to cool off and the first day of Fall is this weekend. That means the leaves will be turning and apples season is here. In honor of the occasion True Terpenes is presenting a look at the terpene profile of the apple.

To begin with apples, just as many plants like basil or cannabis have several cultivars with diverse terpene profiles, so do apples. Also like cannabis, apples have been domesticated and bred for centuries and human selection hasn’t always selected for the most diversity.

A study that compared a variety of apple terpene profiles found that Royal Gala and other modern varieties are typically have a drastically reduced terpene content. The Royal Gala had 5-15 times less terpene content than heritage varieties such as King David, Belle Bonne or Adam’s Permain. Additionally the Royal Gala had a much less diverse profile, with a narrow variety of terpenes. However, the Royal Gala did have the highest content of terpineol.

The study found that the most common terpene in apple fruit was alpha-farnesene. Other terpenes from that family were also found in large amounts such as farnesol and beta-farnesene. These kind of terpenes have been found to be useful as insect repellents and antibiotic action among other uses. Alpha-farnesene is most likely the terpene responsible for some of the fruity, green apple scents and tastes a few cannabis varieties give off.

Limonene and nerolidol and several other terpenes make up the minor notes that you may pick up when eating apples as well. Also not surprising is that apple blossoms have their own unique signature that happens to be a bit more floral. They contain high amounts on linalool for example and have small amounts of beta-caryophyllene.

CannaCon and True Terpenes hope we’ve given you a new outlook on the apple and possibly a few reference points for those apple notes you find in your cannabis as well.