Distinguishing Antemortem and Postmortem Muscle Contusions Using Forensic Spectral Analysis
Organized by: International Forensic Scientist Awards
Website: forensicscientist.org
15th Edition of Forensic Scientist Awards 27-28 October 2025 | Paris, France
Identifying whether a muscle injury occurred before or after death has long been a challenge in forensic pathology. Traditional methods often fall short, especially when examining highly decomposed or autolyzed bodies. Addressing this gap, recent research has introduced a cutting-edge approach that combines advanced morphological studies, infrared spectroscopy, and chemometric modeling to pinpoint molecular signatures of trauma.
Through detailed spectral analysis, researchers discovered distinct biomarker patterns linked to proteins, phospholipids, and carbohydrate complexes. Specific infrared peaks, such as 1643 cm−1 and 1560 cm−1 for proteins, 1402 cm−1 for phospholipids, and 1011 cm−1 for carbohydrates, provide clear molecular fingerprints that help differentiate antemortem from postmortem injuries.
By applying pattern recognition and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), the study achieved high classification accuracy, validated across multiple datasets. The advantages of this method are threefold: it improves diagnostic reliability even in advanced decomposition, allows quantitative spectral interpretation, and provides a standardized framework for analyzing injuries over prolonged postmortem intervals.
This innovative, multimodal approach holds significant promise for forensic investigations, offering a scientifically robust tool to assess injury vitality. With future refinements, such as method simplification and integration with broader forensic analyses, this technique could become a standard in postmortem examinations, even when dealing with challenging cases or extended postmortem intervals.
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