A full service analysis and data interpretation company
Honey
We have recently begun a research effort to investigate the
region-of-origin for one globally important commodity: honey. We are interested
in collecting samples of authentic honey and honeycomb, specific to a known
region of the United States.
Our work utilizes natural chemical variations within the
water and sugar bees drink and eat. These variations are recorded in the materials
bees produce, such as beeswax and honey. Please see the Isotope tutorial page
for an explanation of our techniques and how they can be used to determine
regional geographic origin.
We are not food inspectors nor do we have any
regulatory function. Our goal is simply academic: to collect authentic honey products
throughout the USA. With these samples, we will produce a map that will allow
us to predict the region-of-origin for honey samples.We believe our work ultimately has commercial applications -
protecting domestic honey products and branding regionally important foods.
We are interested in collecting honey and honeycomb from
beehives that are stationary. By sampling stationary hives, we would eliminate
the possibility of confounding results caused by the movement of hives between
different locations. Our ideal samples would be from hives that:
Have
not been moved in the past year and
Have
not been fed with a sugar solution in the last year.
If you are a beekeeper and willing to provide us with
samples of honey and beeswax from your hives, please contact us: lesley@isoforensics.com
or brett@isoforensics.com. Thank you!
Human hair
In October 2000, the unidentified remains of a young woman were
discovered in a shallow grave in the desert west of Salt Lake City, Utah. The
remains included only the cranium and teeth, the victim's hair and a few
distinctive personal effects. Despite efforts by police to identity the remains
using local media outlets, no response from family or friends was forthcoming.
The individual was referred to as "Saltair Sally" and the case
eventually became a cold case.
In 2007, the Utah State Medical Examiner released some of the strikingly hair for isotope ratio analysis along its length in
order to provide information about the potential travel moments of Saltair
Sally. Several hairs were aligned, sectioned, and analyzed for
hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios. Using an average
growth rate of 0.4 mm/day, the hair sample was estimated to represent
approximately 22 months prior to death. The stable isotope data from the hair analysis suggested the
victim moved at least three times in the 22 months prior to death, and was
resident in one location just before death. These patterns suggest Saltair
Sally was mobile rather than being a long-term resident in one location.
