An Epidemic of Misbranding: Marketplace Surveillance of MGM-15 and Kratom Alkaloids in Commercially Available Tablets by QuEChERS -LCMS/MS
- 1Horizon Analytical, 16194 W 45th Dr, STE 104, Golden, CO, 80403
- 2Colorado Chromatography Labs, 16194 W 45th Dr, STE 111, Golden, CO, 80403
Abstract
The commercial kratom market increasingly includes concentrated and semi-synthetic products, including 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15), whose prevalence and concentration across the marketplace remain largely uncharacterized. Kratom alkaloids, namely mitragynine (MIT) and its diastereomers, share the same molecular formula and connectivity. The product ions commonly monitored are not structurally specific, further exacerbated by the semi-synthetic derivates. Reliable identification and quantitation of the alkaloid class require chromatographic resolution in addition to mass spectrometric detection. Here, we present a validated QuEChERS extraction protocol and LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of ten kratom alkaloids in 42 commercially available pressed tablets. The method was linear from 0.05 to 2.0 μg/mL (mean R2 0.992), with limits of detection ranging from 0.0005-0.044 μg/mL, recoveries of 80-120% for seven of ten analytes, and interday precision below 12.5% for nine of ten analytes. MGM-15 was detected in 31 tablets (73.8%) at a median concentration of 6.62 mg/g. Twenty-two of 26 quantitative label claims were not met; in three products, the claimed alkaloids were nearly absent despite total alkaloid content exceeding the stated claim by more than sevenfold. Two products marketed without kratom claims contained eight and nine of the ten target alkaloids, respectively. Combining MGM-15 detection with the 7-OH:MIT ratio identified 34 of 42 products (81%) as semi-synthetically modified. These findings emphasize the need for reliable, robust, and label-independent analytical surveillance of this evolving product class.
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BibTeX
@misc{barovic2026epidemic,
title = {{An Epidemic of Misbranding: Marketplace Surveillance of MGM-15 and Kratom Alkaloids in Commercially Available Tablets by QuEChERS -LCMS/MS}},
author = {Ana Barovic and Mitchell L. Ellinwood and Shelby Blanchart and Alexandra E. McDevitt and Giovanni A. Ramirez and Joseph Hamilton and Christopher D. J. Aretz and Westley Cruces},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15009626/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009626/v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - An Epidemic of Misbranding: Marketplace Surveillance of MGM-15 and Kratom Alkaloids in Commercially Available Tablets by QuEChERS -LCMS/MS
AU - Ana Barovic
AU - Mitchell L. Ellinwood
AU - Shelby Blanchart
AU - Alexandra E. McDevitt
AU - Giovanni A. Ramirez
AU - Joseph Hamilton
AU - Christopher D. J. Aretz
AU - Westley Cruces
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/29
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009626/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009626/v1
AB - The commercial kratom market increasingly includes concentrated and semi-synthetic products, including 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and dihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine (MGM-15), whose prevalence and concentration across the marketplace remain largely uncharacterized. Kratom alkaloids, namely mitragynine (MIT) and its diastereomers, share the same molecular formula and connectivity. The product ions commonly monitored are not structurally specific, further exacerbated by the semi-synthetic derivates. Reliable identification and quantitation of the alkaloid class require chromatographic resolution in addition to mass spectrometric detection. Here, we present a validated QuEChERS extraction protocol and LC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of ten kratom alkaloids in 42 commercially available pressed tablets. The method was linear from 0.05 to 2.0 μg/mL (mean R2 0.992), with limits of detection ranging from 0.0005-0.044 μg/mL, recoveries of 80-120% for seven of ten analytes, and interday precision below 12.5% for nine of ten analytes. MGM-15 was detected in 31 tablets (73.8%) at a median concentration of 6.62 mg/g. Twenty-two of 26 quantitative label claims were not met; in three products, the claimed alkaloids were nearly absent despite total alkaloid content exceeding the stated claim by more than sevenfold. Two products marketed without kratom claims contained eight and nine of the ten target alkaloids, respectively. Combining MGM-15 detection with the 7-OH:MIT ratio identified 34 of 42 products (81%) as semi-synthetically modified. These findings emphasize the need for reliable, robust, and label-independent analytical surveillance of this evolving product class.
ER -