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Decomposition Rate of Pig Shoulder Fatty Flesh: A Burial in Hillside Soil of
Bukit Kor under Tropical Climate
Thnaraj A/L Ravichandran
Supervisor: Dr. Siti Sofo binti Ismail
Co-supervisor: Dr. Tuan Nurul Sabiqah binti Tuan Anuar
Bachelor of Science (Analytical and Environmental Chemistry)
School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
Different body parts of a cadaver disintegrate at various speeds, thus different phases
of deterioration could be seen on a similar body at the same time which causes
difficulties to forensic pathologist to define the degree of decomposition of cadaver
using a single stage of decomposition. In this study, shoulder fatty flesh of a pig (Sus
scrofa) was allowed to decompose under controlled laboratory experiment, mimicking
a shallow grave. Lipids were extracted using Modified Bligh-Dyer Extraction Method
and analyzed with GC-FID. Fractionation of lipids into Phospholipid Fatty Acids (PLFAs)
were done to study soil microbial community at selected sampling points and analyzed
using GC-MS. Lipids found were palmitic acid, stearic acid, methyl nonadecanoate and
cholesterol. Whilst, the major components of microbial PLFAs found to be ranging
from C6 to C24. The outcomes of this experiment provide a useful information to the
forensic investigator in locating a clandestine grave, subsequently, in identifying the
victim or criminal.
1976 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018