Forensic maceration – A comparative analysis of literature and practical application

In forensic practice, the removal of soft tissue is sometimes required to allow for a more accurate skeletal analysis. One of the preferred skeletal processing methods is maceration, the softening of tissue by soaking in water. Despite being widely mentioned in forensic literature, there is still a lack of comprehensive data on how and which maceration methods are applied in daily forensic practice, especially as maceration can be carried out by different forensic professionals and in diverse forensic settings. The aim of this study was to review the published literature on forensic use of maceration and conduct an international survey to compare the practices used with those described in the literature, with special attention on the effects on tool marks and material traces analyses on bone. The literature review, conducted on 27 articles that met the study's inclusion criteria, showed that maceration has been a topic of research and methodological development over the years. Warm water maceration and detergent-based methods were recognized as preferred for practical use, even though no maceration method is without limitations. Survey responses from 57 laboratories and institutes from 19 different countries indicated that while most used methods align with literature recommendations, some practices considered aggressive remain in use. Additionally, it was observed that there is a significant lack of standardization, and maceration is often not included in standard operating procedures (SOPs), which can affect the consistency, efficiency and reproducibility of the methods used, which is something that should be addressed in future.