A FAST PROTEOMICS RECOGNITION OF ANIMAL HAIRS USING A FAST PROTEOMICS RECOGNITION OF ANIMAL HAIRS USING MASS SPECTROMETRY
Abstract
Fur is one of the oldest materials which were used for production of garment, however, they were also used as parts of armour and shields. Due to the importance of fur industry in the past, it is important to recognize the original animal used in these historical objects.
The aim of this work is to find out a simple and a fast approach to identify the origin of animal hairs. Fur hairs of fifteen animals were analysed - six domesticated animals (dog, cat, rabbit, horse, goat and cow), four wild herbivorous animals (fallow deer, red deer, degu and roe deer) and five predators (Asiatic lion, African lion, Amur leopard, Sumatran tiger and Siberian tiger).
After enzymatic digestion of proteins contained in fur hairs, the samples were analysed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization - Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for subsequent data evaluation.