Detection of Semen (Human and Boar) and Saliva on Fabrics by a Very High Powered UV-/VIS-Light Source

Body fluid identification in forensics

“…Another ALS device, Bluemaxx TM BM 500 demonstrated 100% sensitivity to semen stains (7), and Polilight Ⓡ can detect several body fluids, including semen (8). A newly developed device, Lumatec Ⓡ Superlight 400 emits light from 320 to 700 nm and is able to detect stains both in darkness and in daylight (9). Using this device, semen was best detected using a range of 415-490 nm, and saliva was also detectable in 60% of cases.…”

“…Using this device, semen was best detected using a range of 415-490 nm, and saliva was also detectable in 60% of cases. However, poor results were obtained when it was applied to dark fabrics and to fabrics which had been washed, although it had been reported that different types of fabrics showed similar results (9,10).…”

Body Fluids and Spectroscopic Techniques in Forensics: A Perfect Match?

“…In addition, some procedures for the correct detection of semen and blood stains were defined from this work. Subsequent studies by using the same or similar UV-Vis lamps have been published by different authors focusing on the detection of semen, blood, saliva and urine stains on several white and coloured fabrics including cotton, polyester, nylon and wool [11][12][13][14][15][16]. Interestingly, the optimum UV-Vis excitation wavelengths for each body fluid (skin oil, semen, blood, urine and saliva) have been reported, proving that semen and urine seem to have a wider range of wavelengths in which they can be detected [17].…”

The effect of mark enhancement techniques on the subsequent detection of saliva

“…It has however been reported that as many as 40% of saliva stains on clothing can be undetected by alternate light sources [12]. Fluorescence examination using this broad range is useful for speculative searching but does not necessarily identify which body fluid is present.…”