Alkaloid Concentration
VC-MET-200 — the mass of target alkaloid per gram of dried tissue, the primary potency readout for harvested cultivar lots.
Definition
Alkaloid Concentration is the assayed mass of the designated target alkaloid per gram of oven-dried plant tissue (mg·g⁻¹ DW), measured by the Toxin & Biochemical laboratory on each harvested lot. It is the canonical potency figure carried on a lot's certificate of analysis.
Why it matters
Concentration governs downstream batch sizing in the Phyto-Synthesis Bay and the value of every harvested lot. A lot below the warning band is uneconomic to process; one in the critical band is held pending re-cultivation review by the Directorate.
Formula
C_alk = m_target / m_dry [mg · g⁻¹ DW]
m_target = integrated chromatographic peak mass for the
designated alkaloid, calibrated against a
certified reference standard (R² ≥ 0.999)
m_dry = sample dry mass after 48 h at 60 °C
Reported as the mean of triplicate injections; CV must be
≤ 3.0 % or the assay is repeated.
Inputs
| Input | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Target peak | Integrated mass vs. certified standard | Lab HPLC |
| Dry mass | 48 h @ 60 °C gravimetric | Lab |
| Cultivar ref | Per-cultivar expected band | CHLORA |
Units & Scale
Expressed in mg·g⁻¹ dry weight to one decimal place. Not aggregated across lots; facility figures are reported as lot distributions, never a pooled mean, because cultivar potency varies by an order of magnitude.
Sampling & Source
- Assayed once per harvested lot by the Toxin & Biochemical lab.
- Triplicate injection; coefficient of variation must be ≤ 3.0 %.
- Result written to the lot certificate of analysis and the Mycelial Data Fabric.
Thresholds
OK
WARN
CRIT
Recent Trend
Zone roll-up, last 14 sampling periods (current 26.4):
Interpretation Guidance
| Band | Reading | Likely Driver | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28–34 | Peak potency | Optimal cultivar & cycle | Release to synthesis at full batch size. |
| 18–27.9 | On-target | Normal lot variation | Standard processing. |
| 12–17.9 | Soft yield | Stress during cultivation cycle | Review cultivation log; check VC-MET-001. |
| < 12 | WARN / CRIT | Cultivar drift or harvest timing | Hold lot; cultivation review. |
Related Metrics
Toxin Yield Rate
Flagship throughput metric.
VC-MET-217Extraction Purity
Downstream of concentration.
VC-MET-211Batch-Normalized Toxin Yield
Concentration normalized to biomass.
VC-MET-001Canopy Vitality Index
Upstream driver of potency.
Related SOPs
- Chain-of-custody & lot handling — see the SOP Library.
- Extraction & synthesis procedures — SOP Library.