Experimental bone combustion and collagen preservation: implications for isotopic studies

Abstract This paper investigates the temperature's impact on collagen degradation to explore how combustion affects biological analysis, especially isotopic studies. We conducted a burning experiment of guanaco ( Lama guanicoe ) bones at low temperatures (up to 400°C). Different analytical techniques were performed to measure changes in color and dimension (% mass loss), organic composition (collagen yield and quality), mineralogical (crystallinity), and structural (porosity and morphology). The results show that the quantity and quality of collagen decrease significantly at temperatures of 150°C and 200°C, respectively. Over these temperatures, the collagen changes, and the results of the isotopic analysis on it would not be reliable.