RT Journal Article
T1 Impact of coca leaf flour candy consumption on cocaine and benzoylecgonine levels: The role of hygrine and cuscohygrine in distinguishing licit from illicit cocaine use
A1 Rubio, Nélida Cristina
A1 Herbello Hermelo, Paloma
A1 Álvarez Freire, Iván
A1 Cabarcos Fernández, Pamela
A1 Tabernero Duque, María Jesús
A1 Sánchez Sellero, Inés
A1 Bermejo Barrera, Pilar
A1 Bermejo Barrera, Ana María
A1 Moreda Piñeiro, Antonio
K1 Hygrine
K1 Cuscohygrine
K1 Alkaloids
K1 LC-MS/MS
K1 Coca flour-based candy
AB The consumption of coca leaf products, a traditional practice in several Latin American countries, raises forensic challenges in distinguishing legal consumption from illicit cocaine use. This study investigates the implications of consuming coca flour-based candies on drug detection thresholds in oral fluid (OF) and urine for drug-impaired driving (DUID) and workplace drug testing (WDT) contexts. Three commercial candy brands were analyzed, revealing significant variability in coca alkaloid content. Volunteers consumed these candies under controlled conditions, with biological samples collected at various intervals. Key analytes, including cocaine (COC), benzoylecgonine (BE), ecgonine methyl ester (EME), tropococaine (TRO) and cocaethylene (CE), were quantified alongside coca leaf-specific markers (cuscohygrine, cinnamoylcocaine, and hygrine). Analysis was performed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) transitions to ensure specificity.
PB Elsevier
SN 0379-0738
YR 2025
FD 2025-06
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43432
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/43432
LA eng
NO Rubio, N. C., Herbello-Hermelo, P., Álvarez-Freire, I., Cabarcos-Fernández, P., Tabernero-Duque, M. J., Sánchez-Sellero, I., Bermejo-Barrera, P., Bermejo-Barrera, A. M., & Moreda-Piñeiro, A. (2025). Impact of coca leaf flour candy consumption on cocaine and benzoylecgonine levels: The role of hygrine and cuscohygrine in distinguishing licit from illicit cocaine use. Forensic Science International, 371, 112494. 10.1016/j.forsciint.2025.112494
NO This work was supported by Xunta de Galicia (Grupo de Referencia Competitiva, reference ED431C 2022/029).
DS Minerva
RD 22 abr 2026