Decomposition Odour Profiling in the Air and Soil Surrounding Vertebrate Carrion

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Abstract

Chemical profiling of decomposition odour is conducted in the environmental sciences to detect malodourous target sources in air, water or soil. More recently decomposition odour profiling has been employed in the forensic sciences to generate a profile of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by decomposed remains. The chemical profile of decomposition odour is still being debated with variations in the VOC profile attributed to the sample collection technique, method of chemical analysis, and environment in which decomposition occurred. To date, little consideration has been given to the partitioning of odour between different matrices and the impact this has on developing an accurate VOC profile. The purpose of this research was to investigate the decomposition odour profile surrounding vertebrate carrion to determine how VOCs partition between soil and air. Four pig carcasses ( Sus scrofa domesticus L.) were placed on a soil surface to decompose naturally and their odour profile monitored over a period of two months. Corresponding control sites were also monitored to determine the VOC profile of the surrounding environment. Samples were collected from the soil below and the air (headspace) above the decomposed remains using sorbent tubes and analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 249 compounds were identified but only 58 compounds were common to both air and soil samples. This study has demonstrated that soil and air samples produce distinct subsets of VOCs that contribute to the overall decomposition odour. Sample collection from only one matrix will reduce the likelihood of detecting the complete spectrum of VOCs, which further confounds the issue of determining a complete and accurate decomposition odour profile. Confirmation of this profile will enhance the performance of cadaver-detection dogs that are tasked with detecting decomposition odour in both soil and air to locate victim remains.

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Most cited references 34

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Cadaver decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems.

D Yellowlees, Anne O Carter, Mark Tibbett (2006)

A dead mammal (i.e. cadaver) is a high quality resource (narrow carbon:nitrogen ratio, high water content) that releases an intense, localised pulse of carbon and nutrients into the soil upon decomposition. Despite the fact that as much as 5,000 kg of cadaver can be introduced to a square kilometre of terrestrial ecosystem each year, cadaver decomposition remains a neglected microsere. Here we review the processes associated with the introduction of cadaver-derived carbon and nutrients into soil from forensic and ecological settings to show that cadaver decomposition can have a greater, albeit localised, effect on belowground ecology than plant and faecal resources. Cadaveric materials are rapidly introduced to belowground floral and faunal communities, which results in the formation of a highly concentrated island of fertility, or cadaver decomposition island (CDI). CDIs are associated with increased soil microbial biomass, microbial activity (C mineralisation) and nematode abundance. Each CDI is an ephemeral natural disturbance that, in addition to releasing energy and nutrients to the wider ecosystem, acts as a hub by receiving these materials in the form of dead insects, exuvia and puparia, faecal matter (from scavengers, grazers and predators) and feathers (from avian scavengers and predators). As such, CDIs contribute to landscape heterogeneity. Furthermore, CDIs are a specialised habitat for a number of flies, beetles and pioneer vegetation, which enhances biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems.

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Cadaveric volatile organic compounds released by decaying pig carcasses (Sus domesticus L.) in different biotopes.

J Dekeirsschieter, F.J. Verheggen, M Gohy … (2009)

Forensic entomology uses pig carcasses to surrogate human decomposition and to investigate the entomofaunal colonization. Insects communicate with their environment through the use of chemical mediators, which in the case of necrophagous insects, may consist in the cadaveric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by the corpse under decomposition. Previous studies have focused on cadaveric VOCs released from human corpses. Nevertheless, studies on human corpses are restricted for many reasons, including ethics. Forensic entomologists use pig as animal model but very few information are available about the decompositional VOCs released by a decaying pig carcass. We here tested a passive sampling technique, the Radiello diffusive sampler, to monitor the cadaveric VOCs released by decomposing pig carcasses in three biotopes (crop field, forest, urban site). A total of 104 chemical compounds, exclusively produced by the decompositional process, were identified by thermal desorption interfaced with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (TDS-GC-MS). Ninety, 85 and 57 cadaveric VOCs were identified on pig carcasses laying on the agricultural site, the forest biotope and in the urban site, respectively. The main cadaveric VOCs are acids, cyclic hydrocarbons, oxygenated compounds, sulfur and nitrogen compounds. A better knowledge of the smell of death and their volatile constituents may have many applications in forensic sciences.

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Odor analysis of decomposing buried human remains.

Arpad Vass, Derek Smith, Kelly B Eckenrode … (2008)

This study, conducted at the University of Tennessee's Anthropological Research Facility (ARF), lists and ranks the primary chemical constituents which define the odor of decomposition of human remains as detected at the soil surface of shallow burial sites. Triple sorbent traps were used to collect air samples in the field and revealed eight major classes of chemicals which now contain 478 specific volatile compounds associated with burial decomposition. Samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and were collected below and above the body, and at the soil surface of 1.5-3.5 ft. (0.46-1.07 m) deep burial sites of four individuals over a 4-year time span. New data were incorporated into the previously established Decompositional Odor Analysis (DOA) Database providing identification, chemical trends, and semi-quantitation of chemicals for evaluation. This research identifies the "odor signatures" unique to the decomposition of buried human remains with projected ramifications on human remains detection canine training procedures and in the development of field portable analytical instruments which can be used to locate human remains in shallow burial sites.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Immo A. Hansen: Role: Editor

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): PLoS One

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): PLoS ONE

Journal ID (publisher-id): plos

Journal ID (pmc): plosone

Title: PLoS ONE

Publisher: Public Library of Science (San Francisco, USA )

ISSN (Electronic): 1932-6203

Publication date Collection: 2014

Publication date (Electronic): 16 April 2014

Volume: 9

Issue: 4

Electronic Location Identifier: e95107

Affiliations

[1]Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

New Mexico State University, United States of America

Author notes

* E-mail: shari.forbes@ 123456uts.edu.au

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Conceived and designed the experiments: SLF KAP. Performed the experiments: SLF KAP. Analyzed the data: SLF KAP. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: SLF KAP. Wrote the paper: SLF KAP.

Article

Publisher ID: PONE-D-14-00488

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095107

PMC ID: 3989314

PubMed ID: 24740412

SO-VID: afc8456a-67f5-42ff-84bf-92ba1afbb539

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

History

Date received : 6 January 2014

Date accepted : 23 March 2014

Page count

Pages: 12

Funding

This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship ( www.arc.gov.au) and the University of Technology, Sydney International Research Scholarship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Decomposition Odour Profiling in the Air and Soil Surrounding Vertebrate Carrion

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Abstract

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PLOS Climate

Most cited references 34

Cadaver decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems.

Cadaveric volatile organic compounds released by decaying pig carcasses (Sus domesticus L.) in different biotopes.

Odor analysis of decomposing buried human remains.

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