DNA-based taxonomic identification of basidiospores in hallucinogenic mushrooms cultivated in “grow-kits” seized by the police: LC-UV quali-quantitative determination of psilocybin and psilocin
Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis March 23, 2016 Veniero Gambaro, Gabriella Roda, Giacomo Luca Visconti et al. 17 citations
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.