AOCS Feed Microscopy Division Newsletter November 2006
Differentiating Mammalian and Avian Bone Fragments
Neil Vary
The FM Division poster session at the 97th AOCS Annual Meeting and Expo had a single poster this year. Even though there was only one poster, it contained some very important information regarding the differentiation of mammalian and avian bone fragments through their structural characteristics.
The poster was prepared by Evan Balaskas of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. His work demonstrated that differentiating between mammalian and avian bone is not as straightforward as some may believe, especially when a limited number bone particles are available to examine. The distribution and shape of lacunae and canaliculi – small cavities and minute canals – in bone are characteristics that can be used to help differentiate between mammalian, avian, and marine bone. Evan's work demonstrated that the shape of the lacunae of avian bone is much more diverse than what is described in some literature (eg. the AAFM Manual of Microscopic Examination of Feedstuffs, 3rd Ed.) and could thus potentially lead to misidentifying poultry bone as mammalian. The presence of elongated to oblong lacunae in avian bone can easily be masked depending on the type of mounting medium used to prepare a slide for examination with a compound microscope. However, with the use of a mounting media that can be rapidly fixed, these lacunae are clearly visible. Similarly, his work demonstrated that with the use of the same mounting medium, mammalian bone canaliculi are present and clearly visible in most fragments.
Evan's great work helped motivate the planned revision of the AAFM manual. For his work, the FM Division awarded Evan with an Award of Excellence and has asked that he prepare an oral presentation for the upcoming 98th AOCS Annual Meeting and Expo that will be held in Quebec City, Canada May 12-17, 2007. I invite you to attend Evan's presentation so you can get more detailed information regarding this topic directly from the source.