Ana,
You would probably be interested in this article by Church and Lyman. Unfortunately, I do not have a pdf copy (but would like one...)
Cregg
Church, Robert R, and R Lee Lyman. 2003. Small fragments make small differences in efficiency when rendering grease from fractured artiodactyl bones by boiling. Journal of Archaeological Science 30, no. 8: 1077-1084.
Abstract: Part of the conventional wisdom of modern zooarchaeology is that in order for grease to be efficiently rendered from bones by boiling, skeletal elements must be broken into very small pieces. Experimental boiling of fresh long bones (humeri, femora, tibiae) of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) reduced to various sizes indicates this is not necessarily true. No significant difference was found in the efficiency (rate) of rendering grease from bone fragments generated by hammerstone breakage (fragment maximum dimension 5 cm) or from bones cut into pieces of 4, 2, or 1 cm maximum dimension. All produced over 80% of their renderable grease in 2-3 h of boiling. Long bones cut into three pieces comprising the complete diaphysis and two epiphyses were the least efficiently boiled; 80% of their grease was rendered in 5 h. The small amount of grease rendered suggests that the extraction of fat-soluble trace nutrients other than lipids may be an additional reason that bone fragments were boiled.
T. Cregg Madrigal, Ph.D.
Principal Environmental Specialist - Archaeology
New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection
Municipal Finance and Construction Element
Office of Technical Services
PO Box 425
Trenton, NJ, 08625-0425
(609) 633-1170
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>>> Ana Belén Marín <[log in to unmask]> 8/17/2009 3:36 AM >>>
Dear zooarch,
I'm looking for information about bone grease content in quantitative terms, I mean, experimental studies which provide the amount of grease in weight or volume per anatomical part that can be obtained from fresh bone by boiling procedures. As you know, when Binford (1978) developed his grease index, he used total bone volume as an indicator of the potential grease that can be obtained. He also extracted bone grease by boiling then in a chemical solution and gave dry bone weights, but no information about exact grease weight are provided.
Brink (1997) used experimental data of bison long bones to analyze the relationship between grease weight and bone volume or bone density, finding that Binford's emphasis in grease quality was not so justified. He provided some information in quantitative terms but only related with long bones and I would like to characterize the whole skeleton.
I have also seen this reference:
Lupo, K. D., and Schmitt, D. N. 997 Experiments in bone boiling: nutritional returns and archaeological reflections. Anthropozoologica 25-26:137-144.
Unfortunately I don't have access to this article (Could anyone please send me a pdf?)
I don' know if there are more papers concerning this issue. Unlike meat and bone marrow, it seems that bone grease has been less studied. I would appreciate any help with this.
Best wishes,
Ana
--------------------------------------------------------
Ana Belén Marín Arroyo, Ph.D
Research Associate
Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies
University of Cambridge
The Henry Wellcome Building
Fitzwilliam Street
CB2 1QH Cambridge * UK
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
www.zooarqueologia.es
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