Extraction of fatty compounds from fingerprints for GCMS analysis

The composition of fingerprints can contain a wealth of information with regard to the donor of the fingerprint. Fatty acids and other related sebaceous materials can be used to classify donor groups, as previously reported. The extraction of these particular materials from the fingerprint entities has proven to be rather tedious and difficult to reproduce on standardised samples. We present a two step method to obtain a broad spectrum of sebaceous materials from fingerprints in high yields with good reproducibility. By dissolving the fingerprint material in MeOH in the presence of TMSCl the fatty acids are esterified to their corresponding fatty acid methyl esters. During this extraction some of the other sebaceous materials are extracted as well. Only in a consecutive extraction with CHCl3 is an optimal extraction of the fatty content of a fingerprint achieved.