Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 24 No 3 (2020): 339 - 349

 

 

 

 

 

LIPID DISTRIBUTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CADAVER DECOMPOSITION IN MANGROVE AND OIL PALM PLANTATION SOILS UNDER TROPICAL CLIMATE

 

(Taburan Lipid Berkaitan dengan Pereputan Kadaver dalam Tanah Bakau dan Ladang Kelapa Sawit Di Bawah Iklim Tropika)

 

Siti Sofo Ismail¹*, Xueer Chock¹, Mohamad Afdhali Kholidan¹, Ku Mohd. Kalkausar Ku Yusof¹, Siti Fathimah Putery Jemain²

 

¹Faculty of Science and Marine Environment,

Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

²Department of Chemistry, Centre for Foundation Studies,

International Islamic University Malaysia, 26300 Gambang, Pahang, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author:  sofo@umt.edu.my

 

 

Received: 28 December 2019; Accepted: 8 April 2020; Published:  9 June 2020

 

 

Abstract

The burial environment has a significant effect on decomposition process. The most influential environmental factors that determine the fate of the process are temperature, moisture, pH, and partial pressure of oxygen. In this study, the decomposition of a cadaver buried in soils with contrasting pH under a tropical climate was investigated. Due to ethical issues, the fatty flesh of a commercial pig (Sus scrofa) was buried in mangrove (mild alkaline pH) and oil palm plantation (acidic pH) soils, which are amongst the most common body disposal sites encountered in forensic investigations. A controlled laboratory experiment was carried out. Soils were collected at different sampling points, corresponding to different decomposition stages. Modified Bligh-Dyer extraction method was used to extract soil lipids. Gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) was used to identify the obtained lipids. A similar trend in the rate of decomposition was observed for both soils. The decomposition rate was higher at the initial and putrefaction stages. A sharp increase in the decomposition rate was observed between day 3 and day 5 of the burial interval. However, mangrove soil demonstrated a higher decomposition rate at all decomposition stages. Furthermore, the concentrations of palmitic (C_16:0), stearic (C_18:0), and oleic (C_18:1) acids were higher in mangrove soil compared to that of oil palm plantation soil. The significant differences observed between these contrasting pH soils may indicate that soil pH will eventually impose a different effect on decomposition.

 

Keywords:  Cadaver decomposition, soil pH, clandestine grave, decomposition rate, fatty acids

 

Abstrak

Persekitaran pengebumian mempunyai kesan yang signifikan terhadap proses penguraian. Faktor persekitaran yang paling berpengaruh yang menentukan nasib proses adalah suhu, kelembapan, pH, dan tekanan separa oksigen. Dalam kajian ini, penguraian kadaver yang ditanam dalam tanah dengan pH yang berbeza di bawah iklim tropika telah disiasat. Disebabkan isu etika, daging lemak babi komersial (Sus scrofa) ditanam di ladang bakau (pH sedikit alkali) dan ladang kelapa sawit (pH berasid). Kedua-dua jenis kawasan ini adalah antara tapak pelupusan mayat yang paling biasa ditemui dalam siasatan forensik. Eksperimen makmal terkawal telah dijalankan. Tanah dikumpulkan pada titik pensampelan yang berbeza, sepadan dengan peringkat penguraian yang berlainan. Kaedah pengekstrakan Bligh-Dyer yang telah diubah suai digunakan untuk mengekstrak lipid tanah. Kromatografi gas-pengesan nyalaan ion (GC-FID) digunakan untuk mengenal pasti lipid yang diperoleh. Corak yang sama dalam kadar penguraian telah diperhatikan untuk kedua-duanya. Kadar penguraian lebih tinggi pada peringkat awal dan pembusukan. Kadar penguraian meningkat mendadak telah diperhatikan antara hari 3 dan hari 5 selang pengebumian. Walau bagaimanapun, tanah bakau menunjukkan kadar penguraian yang lebih tinggi pada semua peringkat penguraian. Selain itu, kepekatan asid-asid palmitik (C_{16: 0}), stearik (C_{18: 0}), dan oleik (C_{18: 1}) lebih tinggi di dalam tanah bakau berbanding dengan tanah ladang kelapa sawit. Perbezaan yang ketara antara pH tanah yang berlainan ini mungkin menunjukkan bahawa pH tanah akan akhirnya memberi kesan yang berbeza terhadap proses penguraian.

 

Kata kunci:  pereputan kadaver, pH tanah, kubur rahsia, kadar pereputan, asid lemak

 

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