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Dehydration of Tissue by NatronEllie Fuelling and Ibad Jafri
2011-2012
Lab 18: Dehydration of tissue in solid and liquid natron and salt compounds: The purpose of this lab was to discern between multiple methods of dehydration – natron & salt powder, natron solution and natron powder – and arrive at a reasonable conclusion as to which method was the most effective at drying samples of lamb meat. To judge the efficacy of each method, each trial saw pieces of meat of equal masses placed in contrasting conditions and massed and measured afterwards. The meat that had undergone the most profound change in mass and dimension had been through the most effective means of dehydration. The hypothesis seems to have been proved seeing as three pieces of meat between masses of 1.97 g and 2.01 g finished their 5-day trials at varying masses while the meat that undergone dehydration in a solid compound lost the most weight. On one occasion, meat in solutions actually seemed to gain mass over the course of trial. This is of great significance as such data can determine the most productive manner in which an organism's corpse can be dehydrated or preserved.
Keywords: Osmosis, Hypertonic, Hypotonic, natron, dehydration
With the first mummy dating back to 3400 BC, mummification has long been an effective process for preservation. There have been accounts of “Wet Mummies,” mummies preserved in water such as a mummy from the Ming Dynasty preserved in a flooded coffin (Than), but most accounts tell of mummies treated with salts and oils and then wrapped in linen. This lab explored the mummification process used in ancient Egypt to preserve royalty and whether tissue preserved in a solution can be as effective and efficient as tissue preserved in dry conditions. It is predicted that natron as a solid will be more effective than a natron solution at drawing out water and leaving the meat with more mass. It is also predicted that a mixture of NaCl and natron will not be as effective because in the Manchester study, mice dried in 60% NaCl and 40% natron lost 61% of their body weight while mice in natron lost, on average, 63% o their body weight.
• Originally unclear whether or not the hypothesis is proven•Hypothesis expected that meat samples placed in solid natron would
dehydrate faster and more effectively than samples placed in a natron-water solution
•Osmosis would take place more effectively and allow for transfer of fluid from hypotonic meat to hypertonic natron when in direct contact with simply natron
•Samples 1 and 2, weighed nearly the same – 2.01 and 2.06 g•After 5-day trial: Sample 1, which was in solid natron, weighed 0.75 g• Sample 2 weighed 2.44 g
•After one extra day of being left to dry, Sample 2 was 1.26 g•After Sample 2 was washed of excess natron and dried, it ended
at 0.76 g•Both meats seemed to share virtually the same weight
•However, Sample 2 had undergone a far longer process of drying•Also was probably not covered in enough natron to make a great
difference•The hypothesis is confirmed
• The possibility of error is great•Possible that excess natron made a more-than-negligible difference on
scale•The meat that was placed in water seems to have undergone a
chemical change•White and powdery through and through after having been cut
• Significance:•Possible that the same could happen to animal corpses meant to be dried
in a mummification-type setting•Further studies will be taken to discover if meat underwent a chemical
change, and if so, how and why.
• Natron is made by combining 8.27g of sodium carbonate and 8.27g of Sodium bicarbonate, with a total of 16.54g of natron.
• 2 grams of lamb meat (sample 1) was put into a Petri dish and buried in natron. A second sample of meat (Sample 2) was put into 100 mL of H20 mixed
with 16.54g of natron. • While they are being mummified, a second experiment will be performed. The
same dimensions of the same meat are measured. • One piece is buried in a natron mixture, just like the previous time. • A mixture of 60% sodium chloride and 40% natron is mixed. A piece of meat is
buried in the natron-salt mixture.• Each piece of meat is left to dehydrate for 5 days.
Methods
Than, K. (2011, March 10). Pictures: Lifelike wet mummy found during roadbuilding. Retrieved from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/pictures/110310-wet-mummy-china-ming-science-mummies-tomb-chinese-road/David, A. R. (1979). The Manchester Museum mummy project: multidisciplinary research on ancient Egyptian mummified remains. Manchester, Eng.: Manchester MuseumLamb meat. 2011. Photograph. 123rf.comWeb. 6 Mar 2012. http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/igors/igors0804/igors080400085/2941872-a-piece-of-meat-lamb-isolated-on-the-white-background.jpg
Discussion
References
Introduction Abstract
Results
Analysis
Lamb meat, natron, and Petri dishes were the materials used in this experiment.
Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3 Sample 4 Sample 5 Sample 6 Sample 7 Sample 80
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
original (g)
Dried (g)
Sample 1: Meat in Dry Natron for 5 days Sample 2: Meat in Natron Solution for 5 days
Original (g) 2.01 2.06
Dried (g) 0.75 1.25 (0.76 after washing and drying)
Total weight loss (g) 1.26 0.81 (1.30 after washing and drying)
Observations Looked dark red and visibly shrunkenNot as shrunken, crystallized white around the edges
Sample 3: Meat in Natron solution for 5 days Sample 4: Meat in dry natron for 5 days
Original (g) 1.99 1.97
Dried (g) 1.30 (0.74 after washing and drying) 0.74
Total weight loss (g) 0.69 (1.25 after washing and drying) 1.23
ObservationsLooks similar to Sample 1, with dark reds and spots of white muscle.
Looks similar to Sample 2 with a white crystallized coating around the edges; meat is light pink
Sample 5: Meat in dry natron Sample 6: Meat in dry natron
Original (g) 2.51 2.48
Dried (g) 1.32 1.04
Total weight loss (g) 1.19 1.44
ObservationsIt does not appear as dried as the other samples in dry natron and also came out of the petri dish with excess natron coating it, unlike samples 1 and 4.
It does not appear as dried as the other samples in dry natron and also came out of the Petri dish with excess natron coating it, unlike samples 1 and 4.
A mummy from the Ming Dynasty was uncovered after being preserved in a flooded coffin, showing how tissue can be preserved in an aqueous solution.