Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences, Vol 27 No 6 (2023): 1274 - 1287

BELOWGROUND DECOMPOSITION OF SHOULDER AND RUMP FATTY FLESH IN SANDY CLAY LOAM SOIL OF RUBBER PLANTATION OF BUKIT PAYONG, MARANG

(Pereputan Bawah Tanah Bagi Daging Bahu dan Pinggul dalam Tanah Loam Berpasir Ladang Getah Bukit Payong, Marang)

Siti Sofo Ismail*, Thivialosini Siva, Lee Xin Pei, and Loh Kit Yee

Faculty of Science and Marine Environment, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

^*Corresponding author: sofo@umt.edu.my

Received: 17 August 2023; Accepted: 4 November 2023; Published: 29 December 2023

Abstract

Understanding the decomposition process of different body parts is crucial in estimating the postmortem interval (PMI) and/or locating a clandestine grave. Therefore, we conducted a laboratory controlled simulated burial experiment, mimicking a burial in a shallow grave under tropical climate, to comprehensively observe the changes of soil pH and the trend of decomposition rate. Fatty flesh of commercial pigs (Sus scrofa) from the shoulder and rump parts was buried in sandy loam soil. Firstly, a vial was firstly half-filled with the soil. The fatty flesh was placed and covered completely with the soil, then, allowed to decompose for 150 days of burial period. The associated soils were collected at 15 designated sampling points. Soil post-experimental pH was recorded, and the remaining fatty flesh was weighed. The lipids were extracted using modified Bligh-Dyer extraction method and analyzed with a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). We noted differences in the trend of pH, decomposition rate, and total lipid extract concentration. The results demonstrated that generally the soil pH of both body parts changed from acidic at the early decomposition stage, to increasingly alkaline after several days of burial, and the alkalinity decreased back towards the completion of the experiment. Besides this, the soil pH of the rump increased, and the shoulder decreased at the early butyric fermentation stage. The decomposition rate of shoulder fatty flesh was higher than that of the rump at the early decomposition process with a maximum rate at the same burial interval. At the butyric fermentation stage, the total cadaveric derived lipid of the rump was higher than that of the shoulder. The findings of this study shall provide important information on the fates of different body parts and their impact on the surrounding soil pH, which can be used in forensic investigations to locate the clandestine graves and/or to estimate the PMI of the body.

Keywords: cadaveric derived lipids, rump fatty flesh, clandestine grave, postmortem interval, sandy clay loam soil

Abstrak

Pemahaman tentang proses penguraian bahagian badan yang berbeza adalah penting dalam menganggarkan selang postmortem (PMI) dan/atau untuk mencari kubur rahsia. Oleh itu, kami menjalankan eksperimen pengebumian simulasi terkawal makmal, meniru pengebumian di dalam kubur cetek di bawah iklim tropika untuk memerhati secara menyeluruh tentang perubahan pH tanah dan trend kadar penguraian. Daging babi komersial (Sus scrofa) yang berlemak dari bahagian bahu dan pinggul ditanam di dalam tanah liat berpasir. Mula-mula, sebuah vial terlebih dahulu diisi separuh dengan tanah tersebut. Kemudian, daging berlemak itu diletakkan dan ditutup sepenuhnya dengan tanah, dibiarkan mereput selama 150 hari tempoh pengebumian. Tanah yang berkaitan telah dikumpulkan di 15 titik persampelan yang ditetapkan. pH tanah selepas eksperimen direkodkan dan baki daging berlemak ditimbang. Lipid telah diekstrak menggunakan Kaedah pengekstrakan Bligh-Dyer Terubahsuai dan dianalisis dengan gas kromatografi- pengesan nyalaan pengionan (GC-FID). Kami mencatatkan perbezaan dalam trend pH, kadar penguraian dan jumlah kepekatan ekstrak lipid. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa secara amnya pH tanah kedua-dua bahagian badan berubah daripada berasid pada peringkat penguraian awal, meningkat kepada beralkali selepas beberapa hari pengebumian dan menurun kembali menghampiri selesai eksperimen. Selain itu, pH tanah bagi pinggul meningkat dan bahu menurun pada peringkat pembusukan hitam. Kadar penguraian daging lemak bahu adalah lebih tinggi daripada pinggul pada proses penguraian awal dengan kadar maksimum pada selang pengebumian yang sama. Pada peringkat penapaian butirik, jumlah lipid kadaver yang diperolehi adalah lebih tinggi daripada bahu. Penemuan ini memberikan maklumat penting tentang nasib bahagian badan yang berbeza dan kesannya terhadap pH tanah sekeliling yang boleh digunakan dalam penyiasatan forensik untuk mengesan kubur rahsia dan/atau untuk menganggarkan PMI mayat.

Kata kunci: Lipid terbitan kadaver, daging berlemak pinggul, kubur rahsia, selang masa postmortem, tanah liat berpasir

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