Kava Science Effect of Adulteration on Chemotype

[Deleted User01]

Wow, you adulterated the fool out of that Mapulehu but it didn't change chemotypes. Cool experiment. I have never heard of anyone testing Kava like that but you are definitely on the leading edge of Kava Technology. My only concern is that the ISA may not be that strong if it is Hawaiian and perhaps it is easily dominated by the Mapulehu. Yet another thing to study. I know, it never ends does it.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

i'm looking at mapulehu again, it's lookin' tasty, that one puts me into a nice dreamy head space.
25% & 50% Isa moved DHM from 4th position to 3rd position.

 

[ApéroNoble]

Just completed a study on how the addition of two day to a noble kava affects chemotype. Here's the results:

Multiple HPLC runs were done to ensure accuracy, averages are shown and correlation is 0.99, so I'd say I've got the HPLC methodology well sorted. Adulterations are a mix of the pure samples to guarantee consistency. It may not look like much, but bear in mind this study took over 8 hours of HPLC run time alone, not counting prep or the "test which must not be mentioned". This is the huge advantage of a home lab; I may not be accredited but these results are accurate, and quite inexpensive. I got a quote from an accredited lab for this work two months ago, they wanted $3600 just for the HPLC portion.

Conclusions:
HPLC can't tell us specifically if a kava is adulterated, but it can tell us if a kava can be expected to give two day effects. K/DHM appears particularly useful; a value of 1.5 or less should raise serious questions over the nobility of a kava. I've run these calculations on all cultivars listed in "Origin and Distribution" too, and this limit aligns very well with reported traditional use. This does not negate the fact that non-noble kava is known to be genetically different from noble, but it does seem to be a reliable indicator of what should and should not be consumed.

Regarding dom WL >>http://www.kavaforums.com/forum/threads/kava-test-results-oct-17-2014.3400/ Would you expect 577.0 and over to test less than 1.5?

 

[Deleted User01]

i'm looking a mapulehu again, it's lookin' tasty, that one puts me into a nice dreamy head space.
25% & 50% Isa moved DHM from 4th position to 3rd position.

I remember it as being mildly sedating. Like taking 1/2 a Xanax or something. Having a bad hair day during the work day, chug a shell of Mapulehu and forget about it. It is probably a better night time Kava but great for emergencies during the day. It's been a while but now @shakas has got me thinking about it again. When you are doing the 13 kavas of Hawaii, you eventually start thinking back to the one you haven't had in a while. That's why I ordered the Honokane Iki. Time to see my old friend again.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

daytime kava, nighttime kavas....bad hair day kavas...so, many varieties
...a lot bad hair days with this mane, i should stock up on mapulehu next time.

 

[ApéroNoble]

Yes, but for entirely different reasons. Another part of the enigma of the definition of two day.

so though you have 577.0 through 577.5 listed as noble these are actually questionable in regards to their nobility?

All known nobles I have tested (and by "known", I mean completely reliable accountability from plant-in-ground to product-in-bag) give readings within this narrow range, in spite of variations in cultivar, age, soil, root/rootstock ratio, and cultivation technique. In addition, their reaction to adulteration is nearly identical regardless of initial lightness point, and a saturation point is reached that follows a much different curve than other potentially adulterated samples. (This also indicates that trials on samples above the range are effectively adulterating already spiked kava, but that is a subject that would take much more explanation.) This indicates to me - and to experts I have offered this theory - that the range is reasonably accurate, and that the molecule responsible for the coloration is unique.

The chart below only shows a few of the samples tested, but illustrates the theory. Note the narrow range of the verified nobles:

would you expect Mapulehu/Isa 90:10 to show a reaction to adulteration when tested without comparison to unadulterated Mapulehu?

My personal theory is that 575.0 ±0.5nm is the true range for noble, properly prepared root, but I lack the resources and credentials to substantiate this speculation.

 

[verticity]

so though you have 577.0 through 577.5 listed as noble these are actually questionable in regards to their nobility?

would you expect Mapulehu/Isa 90:10 to show a reaction to adulteration when tested without comparison to unadulterated Mapulehu?

The point I think is that chemotype testing measures relative amounts of kavalactones, but there are other things in addition to KLs that distinguish nobles from tudeis, namely flavokavains and whatever substance causes the orange acetone test. So there is certainly a correlation between chemotype, or K/DHM ratio, and "orange stuff level" or dominant wavelengh, but if you plotted those 2 things relative to eachother there would be some scattering, meaning you can't precisely predict one from the other. These results do indicate that going by dominant wavelength can't identify adulteration at the level of 10% Isa (and is borderline at 25%), but I bet fitting the absorbance peak at ~450 nm could do so.

 

[ApéroNoble]

The point I think is that chemotype testing measures relative amounts of kavalactones, but there are other things in addition to KLs that distinguish nobles from tudeis, namely flavokavains and whatever substance causes the orange acetone test. So there is certainly a correlation between chemotype, or K/DHM ratio, and "orange stuff level" or dominant wavelengh, but if you plotted those 2 things relative to eachother there would be some scattering, meaning you can't precisely predict one from the other. These results do indicate that going by dominant wavelength can't identify adulteration at the level of 10% Isa (and is borderline at 25%), but I bet fitting the absorbance peak at ~450 nm could do so.

I realize the unparalleled nature of the two, I guess I''m trying to get a handle on approximately how correlative they are, & essentially how accurate noble adulteration is on the curve path "In addition, their reaction to adulteration is nearly identical regardless of initial lightness point"

 

[verticity]

I realize the unparalleled nature of the two, I guess I''m trying to get a handle on approximately how correlative they are, & essentially how accurate noble adulteration is on the curve path "In addition, their reaction to adulteration is nearly identical regardless of initial lightness point"

Yeah, well Deleted User has just given us some valuable data points on exactly this question. But as they say "more research is required--please continue funding our project indefinitely"

 

[verticity]

R-squared is an indication of goodness of fit. So adulteration is 81% correlated with K/DHM (or is correlated in a somewhat non-linear way -- but with this small a number of points, it's difficult to fit to anything more complicated with a straight line)

Dom WL is much better correlated at 97%, thus a better indication of adulteration.

 

[HeadHodge]

daytime kava, nighttime kavas....bad hair day kavas...so, many varieties
...a lot bad hair days with this mane, i should stock up on mapulehu next time.

Your avatar is starting to look like jesus.
(so the question is do you turn water into wine or kava? )

 

[HeadHodge]

@Deleted User I knew you would be a great investment!!! Keep up the great work. If you need anything, let me know and I'll see what I can do to help out.

 

[verticity]

@HeadHodge - A mass spectrometer would make a nice Christmas present for Deleted User, whaddya say?

 

[HeadHodge]

@HeadHodge - A mass spectrometer would make a nice Christmas present for Deleted User, whaddya say?

I was thinking more like a Kavometer. But if I can't find one, how much does a mass spectrometer cost? How about a single spectrometer instead? (we only need one right?)

 

[verticity]

I was thinking more like a Kavometer. But if I can't find one, how much does a mass spectrometer cost? How about a single spectrometer instead? (we only need one right?)

I should clarify, I meant a massive spectrometer, like this one:

 

[The Kap'n]

Our name isn't "KavaForums, and enriched uranium isotope separation" for nothing!

 

[HeadHodge]

I should clarify, I meant a massive spectrometer, like this one:

Oh... I thought you said gassive spectrometer