Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items
Globally, the rapid decline in wildlife species has many causes. The illegal trafficking of fauna and flora is a major contributor to species decline and continues to grow at an alarming rate. To enable the prosecution of those involved in the trafficking of illegal wildlife, accurate and reliable i...
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MDPI AG
2020-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/7/1/5 |
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| author | Maiken Ueland Amber Brown Cecilia Bartos Greta J. Frankham Rebecca N. Johnson Shari L. Forbes |
| author_facet | Maiken Ueland Amber Brown Cecilia Bartos Greta J. Frankham Rebecca N. Johnson Shari L. Forbes |
| author_sort | Maiken Ueland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Globally, the rapid decline in wildlife species has many causes. The illegal trafficking of fauna and flora is a major contributor to species decline and continues to grow at an alarming rate. To enable the prosecution of those involved in the trafficking of illegal wildlife, accurate and reliable identification is paramount. Traditionally, morphology and DNA amplification are used. This paper investigates a novel application of volatilome profiling using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry for wildlife sample detection. Known samples of elephant-derived ivory, other dentine samples, and bone (a common ivory substitute) were used as reference samples for volatilome profiling. Subsequently, specimens that were suspected ivory from border control seizures were obtained and analysed. Confirmatory DNA analyses were conducted on seized samples to establish the reliability parameters of volatilome profiling. The volatilome method correctly identified six of the eight seized samples as elephant ivory, which was confirmed through DNA analysis. There was also clear distinction of African elephant ivory parts from the bone and dentine samples from other species, as shown through PCA and discriminant analyses. These preliminary results establish volatilome profiling through GC×GC-TOFMS as a novel screening method used for the identification of unknown wildlife contraband. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:30:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3ef376d7ae1543b68b18a00b9f8ef32f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-8739 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:30:06Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
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| spelling | doaj.art-3ef376d7ae1543b68b18a00b9f8ef32f2022-12-22T03:59:29ZengMDPI AGSeparations2297-87392020-01-0171510.3390/separations7010005separations7010005Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife ItemsMaiken Ueland0Amber Brown1Cecilia Bartos2Greta J. Frankham3Rebecca N. Johnson4Shari L. Forbes5Centre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, AustraliaCentre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, AustraliaCentre for Forensic Science, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW 2007, AustraliaAustralian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, AustraliaAustralian Centre for Wildlife Genomics, Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, AustraliaDépartement de chimie, biochimie et physique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351 boul. des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC G8Z 4M3, CanadaGlobally, the rapid decline in wildlife species has many causes. The illegal trafficking of fauna and flora is a major contributor to species decline and continues to grow at an alarming rate. To enable the prosecution of those involved in the trafficking of illegal wildlife, accurate and reliable identification is paramount. Traditionally, morphology and DNA amplification are used. This paper investigates a novel application of volatilome profiling using comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled with time of flight mass spectrometry for wildlife sample detection. Known samples of elephant-derived ivory, other dentine samples, and bone (a common ivory substitute) were used as reference samples for volatilome profiling. Subsequently, specimens that were suspected ivory from border control seizures were obtained and analysed. Confirmatory DNA analyses were conducted on seized samples to establish the reliability parameters of volatilome profiling. The volatilome method correctly identified six of the eight seized samples as elephant ivory, which was confirmed through DNA analysis. There was also clear distinction of African elephant ivory parts from the bone and dentine samples from other species, as shown through PCA and discriminant analyses. These preliminary results establish volatilome profiling through GC×GC-TOFMS as a novel screening method used for the identification of unknown wildlife contraband.https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/7/1/5wildlife forensicsrapid screeningvolatile organic compoundsdna identificationillegal wildlife trade |
| spellingShingle | Maiken Ueland Amber Brown Cecilia Bartos Greta J. Frankham Rebecca N. Johnson Shari L. Forbes Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items Separations wildlife forensics rapid screening volatile organic compounds dna identification illegal wildlife trade |
| title | Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items |
| title_full | Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items |
| title_fullStr | Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items |
| title_full_unstemmed | Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items |
| title_short | Profiling Volatilomes: A Novel Forensic Method for Identification of Confiscated Illegal Wildlife Items |
| title_sort | profiling volatilomes a novel forensic method for identification of confiscated illegal wildlife items |
| topic | wildlife forensics rapid screening volatile organic compounds dna identification illegal wildlife trade |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2297-8739/7/1/5 |
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