title: A fast preparation of skeletal materials using enzyme maceration.
abstract: The current study investigates the removal of soft tissues from mice and rats by the use of three different proteases and one lipase from Novozymes A/S. The results demonstrate the enzyme maceration to be remarkably fast (1-3 h) compared to the traditional warm-water procedure, which requires up to several days. In addition, the enzyme maceration eliminates the odor problem associated with the traditional procedure. It is shown that stirring of the enzyme maceration bath is the main factor which determines the speed of the maceration. For mice, the time required for enzyme maceration can vary from 1 to 8 h depending on the stirring speed. The method investigated here allows preparation of skeletal material in an essentially odorless way within a matter of hours, making the method useful in particular for forensic science, private conservation workshops, and educational purposes.
authors.affiliation: The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Conservation, Esplanaden 34, DK-1263 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. kps@kons.dk
authors.forename: Kim P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Simonsen
authors.forename: Arne R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
authors.forename: Pernille
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mathisen
authors.forename: Henriette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Flemming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Borup
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D007101:Immersion; D008049:Lipase / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008049:Lipase; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C032923:microbial serine proteinases