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Forensic analysis of Salvia divinorum using multivariate statistical procedures. Part II: association of adulterated samples to S. divinorum

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Abstract

Salvia divinorum is a plant material that is of forensic interest due to the hallucinogenic nature of the active ingredient, salvinorin A. In this study, S. divinorum was extracted and spiked onto four different plant materials (S. divinorum, Salvia officinalis, Cannabis sativa, and Nicotiana tabacum) to simulate an adulterated sample that might be encountered in a forensic laboratory. The adulterated samples were extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the resulting total ion chromatograms were subjected to a series of pretreatment procedures that were used to minimize non-chemical sources of variance in the data set. The data were then analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA) to investigate association of the adulterated extracts to unadulterated S. divinorum. While association was possible based on visual assessment of the PCA scores plot, additional procedures including Euclidean distance measurement, hierarchical cluster analysis, Student’s t tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and Pearson product moment correlation were also applied to the PCA scores to provide a statistical evaluation of the association observed. The advantages and limitations of each statistical procedure in a forensic context were compared and are presented herein.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Dr. Kathryn Severin (Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University) for training and use of the GC-MS. This project was partially funded by the Midwest Forensics Resource Center (grant no. SC-10-335) and by a Forensic Sciences Foundation/National Institute of Justice Student Research Grant. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Melissa A. Bodnar Willard & Victoria L. McGuffin

  2. Forensic Science Program, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Melissa A. Bodnar Willard & Ruth Waddell Smith

Authors
  1. Melissa A. Bodnar Willard
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  2. Victoria L. McGuffin
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  3. Ruth Waddell Smith
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Victoria L. McGuffin or Ruth Waddell Smith.

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Willard, M.A.B., McGuffin, V.L. & Smith, R.W. Forensic analysis of Salvia divinorum using multivariate statistical procedures. Part II: association of adulterated samples to S. divinorum . Anal Bioanal Chem 402, 843–850 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5500-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5500-7

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