I have successfully used papain (a papaya extract that is often used as a
meat tenderizer and breaks up flesh, tissue, muscle). I purchased papain
tablets at a health food store, 50 per bottle (I bought the ones with the
highest concentration), crushed them with a mortar and pestle. I added about
10-12 tablets per 5 gallon bucket of tap water. Each bucket held about 8
fish carcasses, each in its own pantyhose stocking (with labels of course),
suspended in the water by hanging on a dowel.
I was impressed at how quickly the papain broke down the flesh. I did have a
"control" bucket without papain, and those fish seemed to take several weeks
longer to decompose.
As a side note -- I think using actual papaya fruit would be too
messy/sticky and might draw unwanted attention from ants.
Tanya Peres
Tanya M. Peres, PhD
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Sociology and Anthropology
Middle Tennessee State University
Murfreesboro, TN 37132
615.904.8590 (office)
615.898.5427 (fax)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 5:27 PM
Subject: Re: [ZOOARCH] processing specimens
>I use Tergazyme, but just a teaspoon or two per bucket, and only on the
> first "soak" for warm water maceration of mostly defleshed specimens.
> It works pretty well.
> -Barnet
>
>
> --
> Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Ph.D.
> Assistant Curator of Zooarchaeology
> Arizona State Museum
> Assistant Professor of Anthropology
> Department of Anthropology
> University of Arizona
> P.O. Box 210026
> Tucson, AZ 85721-0026
> (520) 626-3989
> FAX: (520) 621-2976
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> Quoting Mariana Mondini <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>> Dear Zooarchers,
>> Have you heard of Tergazyme?
>> On the other hand, which detergent is harmless -for the bones and for
>> the researcher? (e.g., those containing nonil fenol have been
>> forbidden).
>> Thanks!
>> Mariana
>>
>> Dra. Mariana Mondini
>> CONICET-UBA
>> --------------------------------
>> [log in to unmask] - [log in to unmask]
>
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