In anthropology, objective parameters to adequately describe storage conditions and the preservation of mummies have yet to be identified. Considering that
fatty acids degrade to stable products, we analysed their profile in human mummies and in control samples by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Originating from different epochs and civilizations, samples of the Tyrolean Iceman, other glacier
corpses, a freeze dried mummy,
corpses from a permafrost region, a
corpse mummified immersed in water, and a desert mummy were evaluated. Chemometric analysis based on the concentrations of 16
fatty acids revealed the degree of similarity between anthropologic and fresh
corpse samples, which was mainly influenced by the content of
palmitic acid,
oleic acid, and
10-hydroxystearic acid. The presence of
10-hydroxystearic acid was associated with immersion in water, whereas dry mummification was accompanied by high contents of
oleic acid. Samples of the Tyrolean Iceman clustered between fresh tissue and those of other glacier
corpses indicating the good preservation of this mummy. Thus, environmental post-mortem conditions were associated with characteristic
fatty acid patterns suggesting that chemometric analysis of
fatty acid contents may add to our knowledge about post-mortem storage conditions and the preservation of human
corpses.