Detection of Dried Saliva on Human Skin using an Ultra Violet Spectrometer: A Technical Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18311/jfds/12/1/2020.6Keywords:
Salivary Alpha‑amylase, Spectroscopy.Abstract
Introduction: Human beings produce saliva, which is a vital secreted fluid. A significant quantity of saliva is left on the skin while biting, sucking, or licking. This saliva if effectively detected could be utilized as forensic evidence. DNA extraction and typing is complex and expensive technique; hence, ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy could be used as an effective tool in detecting saliva. Aim: The aim was to detect the presence of dried saliva on the human skin using a UV spectrometer. Materials and Methodology: In this study, 50 volunteers deposited their saliva on their own arm. The saliva was air‑dried, then, the absorption spectra were recorded utilizing the UV spectrometer. Results: Saliva was detected with 64% of samples showing a peak at 282 nm. The technique proved to be very specific and sensitive, and it did not deteriorate the sample. Conclusion: UV‑spectroscopy is a specific and technique sensitive method that could detect the presence of saliva without deteriorating the quality of the given sample.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Zapata F, Gregório I, García‑Ruiz C. Body fluids and spectroscopic techniques in forensics: A perfect match? J Forensifc Med 2015;1:1000101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4172/2472-1026.1000101
Anzai‑Kanto E, Hirata MH, Hirata RD, Nunes FD, Melani RF, Oliveira RN. DNA extraction from human saliva deposited on skin and its use in forensic identification procedures. Braz Oral Res 2005;19:216‑22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1806-83242005000300011
Schenkels LC, Veerman EC, Amerongen AV. Biochemical composition of human saliva in relation to other mucosal fluids. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med 1995;6:161‑75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10454411950060020501
Sweet D, Lorente M, Lorente JA, Valenzuela A, Villanueva E. An improved method to recover saliva from human skin: The double swab technique. J Forensic Sci 1997;42:320‑2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1520/JFS14120J
Shah RS, Shah RR, Pawar RB, Gayakar PP. UV‑visible spectroscopy‑ A review. Int J Inst Pharm Life Sci 2015;5:490‑505.
Chatterjee S, Nagi R, Aravinda K, Rakesh N, Jain S, Kaur N, et al. Saliva as a forensic tool. J Dent Probl Solut 2018;5:26‑8.
Nanda KD, Ranganathan K, Umadevi K, Joshua E. A rapid and noninvasive method to detect dried saliva stains from human skin using fluorescent spectroscopy. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol 2011;15:22‑5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-029X.80033
Liang T, Roy R. Ultraviolet‑visible spectrophotometry (UV‑VIS) and SALIgAE® qualitative and semi‑quantitative tools for the analysis of salivary amylase. J Forensic Res 2014;5:1.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Shilpa Dutta Malik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
CC-BY allows for unrestricted reuse of content, subject only to the requirement that the source work is appropriately attributed.