title: Identification of milk component in ancient food residue by proteomics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Proteomic approaches based on mass spectrometry have been recently used in archaeological and art researches, generating promising results for protein identification. Little information is known about eastward spread and eastern limits of prehistoric milking in eastern Eurasia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this paper, an ancient visible food remain from Subeixi Cemeteries (cal. 500 to 300 years BC) of the Turpan Basin in Xinjiang, China, preliminarily determined containing 0.432 mg/kg cattle casein with ELISA, was analyzed by using an improved method based on liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS to further identify protein origin. The specific sequence of bovine casein and the homology sequence of goat/sheep casein were identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The existence of milk component in ancient food implies goat/sheep and cattle milking in ancient Subeixi region, the furthest eastern location of prehistoric milking in the Old World up to date. It is envisioned that this work provides a new approach for ancient residue analysis and other archaeometry field.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Human Evolution, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, CAS, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Hongen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Enguo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.forename: Yunfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lihai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yongming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Changsui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yimin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology / Q000379:methods; D002364:Caseins / Q000737:chemistry; D002417:Cattle; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods; D005502:Food; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods; D005580:Fossils; D049690:History, Ancient; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D008894:Milk Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002364:Caseins; D008894:Milk Proteins