Alkaloid Ratio Profiling
Definition
A source-attribution technique using the morphine:codeine:papaverine:noscapine ratio in heroin seizures to infer the geographic origin of the opium feedstock, reflecting the chemotype of Papaver somniferum grown in the source region.
- Compounds measured
- Morphine, codeine, papaverine, noscapine
- Purpose
- Infer geographic origin of opium feedstock
- Basis
- Chemotype of Papaver somniferum by growing region
- Applied to
- Heroin seizures
Common questions
Why would opium poppies from different regions have different alkaloid ratios?+
The relative proportions of these alkaloids in the poppy plant are influenced by cultivar and growing conditions specific to a region, so poppies cultivated in different source areas produce measurably different chemotype signatures even for the same species.
Can this profiling identify the exact farm or only a broader region?+
It typically narrows origin to a broader growing region rather than pinpointing an individual farm, since the ratios reflect cultivar and regional agronomic patterns shared across many growers rather than a single field's unique conditions.
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