QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF MITRAGYNINE IN RED VEIN KRATOM POWDER FROM FOUR CULTIVATION SOURCES: A COMPARATIVE OF NIR SPECTROSCOPY AND UHPLC-MS/MS

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the use of Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) for analyzing mitragynine content in red-veined kratom powder, comparing it with the standard UHPLC-MS/MS method. Kratom leave samples were collected from four cultivation sites across Thailand, including Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan, and Ubon Ratchathani provinces. The research consists of four main stages: 1) creation of standard curves and quality control of standard substances, 2) NIR analysis, 3) UHPLC-MS/MS analysis, and 4) comparison of results between the two methods. Results are expected to demonstrate that the NIR technique can analyze mitragynine content rapidly and accurately, comparable to the standard UHPLC-MS/MS method, with advantages in speed, convenience, and lower cost. This study is a preliminary analysis to determine the relationship between the quantity of active compounds analyzed by UHPLC-MS/MS and the light absorption values of mitragynine in kratom powder. The research findings are anticipated to benefit Thai researchers and farmers in developing innovations, reducing costs, enhancing competitiveness in the global market, and improving the quality of Thai kratom products in the future.