Issue 3, 2004

Characterisation of ‘bog butter’ using a combination of molecular and isotopic techniques

Abstract

The chemical analyses of ‘bog butters’ recovered from peat bogs of Scotland were performed with the aim of determining their origins. Detailed compositional information was obtained from ‘bog butter’ lipids using high temperature gas chromatography (HTGC) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results indicate the degree to which ‘bog butters’ have undergone diagenetic alterations during burial to form an adipocere like substance, consisting predominately of hexadecanoic (palmitic) and octadecanoic (stearic) acids. GC-combustion-isotope ratio MS (GC-C-IRMS) was used to determine δ13C values for the dominant fatty acids present, revealing for the first time that ‘bog butters’ were derived from both ruminant dairy fats and adipose fats. The results are compared and contrasted with modern reference fats and adipoceres produced in vitro.

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
23 Oct 2003
Accepted
05 Jan 2004
First published
22 Jan 2004

Analyst, 2004,129, 270-275

Characterisation of ‘bog butter’ using a combination of molecular and isotopic techniques

R. Berstan, S. N. Dudd, Mark. S. Copley, E. D. Morgan, A. Quye and Richard. P. Evershed, Analyst, 2004, 129, 270 DOI: 10.1039/B313436A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements