Odour profile of human corpses: A review

[en] The decaying process of vertebrates leads to the emission of a wide panel of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). While many studies use pigs or rats as surrogate human models, some studies have attempted to characterise the volatilome of human corpses, with very contrasting results. In this literature review, we summarise the genesis of the vertebrate cadaver volatilome, from the breakdown of macromolecules to specific VOCs. Furthermore, we list the analytical methods previously employed to collect, separate, identify and quantify human cadaveric VOCs. We describe the advantages and disadvantages of these methods. Based on previously published reports, we formulate an up-to-date directory of the VOCs identified from human cadavers. We discuss the impact of the heterogeneity of the samples, and the limitations associated with sample size and the intrinsic characteristics of the corpses that were subjected to these studies. Finally, we consider the different applications that would benefit from improving the identification of the human volatilome.

Disciplines :

Life sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others

Author, co-author :

Martin, Clément ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Agronomie, Bio-ingénierie et Chimie (AgroBioChem) > Gestion durable des bio-agresseurs

Verheggen, François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Agronomie, Bio-ingénierie et Chimie (AgroBioChem) > Gestion durable des bio-agresseurs

Language :

English

Title :

Odour profile of human corpses: A review

Publication date :

2018

Journal title :

Forensic Chemistry

eISSN :

2468-1709

Publisher :

Elsevier, Netherlands

Volume :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 31 July 2018

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12 (6 by ULiège)

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