Analysing avian eggshell pigments with Raman spectroscopy

Daniel B. Thomas, Mark E Hauber, Daniel Hanley, G.I.N. Waterhouse, Sara Fraser, Keith C. Gordon

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Avian eggshells are variable in appearance, including coloration. Here, we demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy can provide accurate diagnostic information about major eggshell constituents, including the pigments biliverdin and protoporphyrin IX. Eggshells pigmented with biliverdin showed a series of pigment-diagnostic Raman peaks under 785 nm excitation. Eggshells pigmented with protoporphyrin IX showed strong emission under 1064 nm and 785 nm excitation, whereas resonance Raman spectra (351 nm excitation) showed a set of protoporphyrin IX informative peaks characteristic of protoporphyrin IX. As representative examples, we identified biliverdin in the olive green eggshells of elegant crested tinamous (Eudromia elegans) and in the blue eggshells of extinct upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus). This study encourages the wider use of Raman spectroscopy in pigment and coloration research and highlights the value of this technique for non-destructive analyses of museum eggshell specimens.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2670-2674
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Experimental Biology
Volume218
Issue number17
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Biliverdin
  • Chemical analysis
  • Moa
  • Non-destructive
  • Protoporphyrin IX
  • Tinamou
  • Animals
  • Biliverdine
  • Birds
  • Color
  • Egg Shell
  • Pigments, Biological
  • Protoporphyrins
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman
  • biliverdin
  • pigment
  • protoporphyrin
  • animal
  • bird
  • chemistry
  • color
  • egg shell
  • Raman spectrometry

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