2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Shelf Life of Kratom Alkaloids

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Owen McDougal and Anna Shuey

Abstract

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) contains bioactive alkaloids whose stability has very limited data on how storage conditions influence their degradation. This study aims to evaluate the temperature-dependent stability and shelf life of 5 alkaloids - 7-hydroxymitragynine (7HMG), mitragynine (MG), speciogynine (SG), speciociliatine (SC), and paynantheine (PAY) - selected for either their high potency or abundance in three commercially available kratom powders: Green Bali, White Bali, and Wild Red Bali. Samples were stored at controlled temperatures of 25ºC, 35ºC, & 45ºC to simulate store, warehouse, and shipping conditions of kratom products, respectively. Methanolic extraction with combined shaking and sonication was used to remove alkaloids from the solid matrix and high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector and mass spectrometer (HPLC-DAD-MS), is being employed to separate and individually quantify changes in alkaloid concentrations over an ongoing six month period. The information from this study will increase understanding in how the alkaloid concentrations within products changes over time to better inform consumers of potency changes of such products over time and regulatory agencies for the inclusion of expiration dates on product labels.

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