Analysis of selected poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) cultivars: Pharmaceutically important alkaloids

The content of pharmaceutically important alkaloids (morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine and narcotine) was analysed in the empty poppy capsules (poppy straw) of fifteen selected cultivars of Papaver somniferum. By applying the cluster analysis and k-means methods, four clusters representing the sets of cultivars with a defined level of production of the selected alkaloids were determined, based on their similarities.The content of individual minor alkaloids, which was obtained was relatively low (0.00–0.17%) and in some cases negligible, defined by the dominant representation of morphine in the alkaloid spectrum of all selected cultivars. In addition to the high-morphine cultivar ‘Buddha’ (mean 1.64%), there was a middle content (mean 0.79%) or low content (mean 0.61%) of morphine in the cultivars included in clusters 2 and 3 (average of 3 consecutive years 2007, 2008 and 2009). A relatively high content of morphine was detected in cultivar ‘Böhmův bělosemenný’ (mean 0.91%), although it is usually published that white-seed cultivars contain less morphine and other alkaloids, compared to blue-seed or grey-seed cultivars. Low content of morphine (mean 0.48% resp. 0.44%) by relatively high content of narcotine (mean 0.11% resp. 0.15%) was obtained in poppy cultivars ‘Danneborg’ and ‘Tatarstan’. Also, surprisingly the highest papaverine content (mean 0.07%) was detected in the cultivar ‘Sušický červenosemenný’ with the lowest content of morphine (mean 0.34%).

► We set up a three year field trial of fifteen cultivars of Papaver somniferum.
► We used HPLC for the evaluation of important alkaloids in ripe deseeded capsules.
► 4 clusters were determined, representing sets of cultivars with an alkaloid level.
► The content of individual minor alkaloids was relatively low (0.00–0.17%).
► The high content of morphine was detected in one white-seed cultivar (mean 0.91%).