DNA-based identification of biological material in hallucinogenic mushroom culture media enables forensic identification of illegal samples even when only basidiospores are present, without needing fruiting bodies. This approach allows customs to stop and destroy potentially illicit material before cultivation, avoiding the need for criminal cases. A validated LC-UV method with a cation exchange column quantified psilocybin and psilocin in mushrooms grown from seized grow-kits. Psilocybin content ranged from 1.02 to 7.60 mg/g of dry material, and psilocin from 0.415 to 8.36 mg/g. The method showed linearity (R² > 0.9992), low detection limits, and high precision.
Mushrooms suspected of containing hallucinogenic compounds were identified using DNA analysis, which proved useful for forensic identification when the material was too degraded for morphological examination. A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) method was optimized to quantify psilocybin and psilocin in seized samples, using a synthesized internal standard (5-hydroxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine). Psilocybin concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 1.4% and psilocin from 1.3 to 2.5% (w/w), consistent with prior reports. Psilocin was more concentrated in the cap and the lower stem, while psilocybin was higher in the cap and upper stem.