The Terpene Profile of Pumpkins

It’s October and nearly time for Halloween. Pumpkin carvings are starting to appear on porches and in window sills across the country. Pretty soon it’ll be time for costume parties and trick or treating. True Terpenes wanted to celebrate the season by sharing the essential oil and terpene profile of Pumpkins.

Pumpkins are actually a name for several varieties of winter squash that have orange skin. The largest part of their essential oil is comprised of organic alcohols like (Z)-3-hexenol, 1-Hexanol and 2-Propanol which impart a planty, green taste or the sulphur containing compounds like dimethyl disulfide which is similar to sulphur cabbage and malt. These combine to make up around 50-70% of the essential oil of the pumpkin.

Limonene is the most abundant terpene in pumpkins with a range of 4-7%. Limonene must be responsible for some of the tangy smell from pumpkins.  Alpha & beta-pinene make up 2-3% of the profile while beta-cyclocitral, linalool create light floral, pine notes.

It appears that just like cannabis and many other plants, pumpkins have a complex essential oil that features a variety of volatile organic compounds including our favorite terpenes. The team at True Terpenes hopes you have a happy Halloween and enjoy all the pumpkins this Autumn.