UV-induced fluorescence (UVIF) data that were obtained in the 1978 investigation of the Turin Shroud, were recently revisited by Pellicori supporting different behavior of background, non-image, and body image areas. Based on the experimental literature results, the chemical nature of that difference is discussed here. Former enzymatic analysis using pectinase indicated the presence of pectic substances, but only for fibers extracted from the background non-image areas. On the other hand, the high content of pectins in the primary cell wall (PCW) of flax fibers is well documented. The PCW is a thin outermost layer of fibers of approximately 0.2 μm, which corresponds to the layer where the body image is seen. Pectins are easier oxidized and destroyed than cellulose, the main component of the linen. In the present paper, pectins from the PCW of the linen fibers are proposed to participate in the initial stage of body image formation on the Turin Shroud, although they have been destroyed in that process. To demonstrate the presence of pectins in the fibers from the Shroud, the results of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode obtained by Fanti for body image and non-image fibers have been compared. Analyzed spectra do not exclude the presence of pectins. Thus, participation of pectins can explain some unique properties of the Shroud image, i.e., superficiality of the body image and nonuniform distribution of its yellow color.
| Published in | International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 13, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15 |
| Page(s) | 178-184 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Fluorescence, FTIR Spectra, Turin Shroud, Pectins, Image Superficiality, Image Striations
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APA Style
Jaworski, J. S. (2025). The Role of Pectins in the Body Image Formation on the Turin Shroud. International Journal of Archaeology, 13(2), 178-184. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15
ACS Style
Jaworski, J. S. The Role of Pectins in the Body Image Formation on the Turin Shroud. Int. J. Archaeol. 2025, 13(2), 178-184. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15,
author = {Jan Stefan Jaworski},
title = {The Role of Pectins in the Body Image Formation on the Turin Shroud},
journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
volume = {13},
number = {2},
pages = {178-184},
doi = {10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.20251302.15},
abstract = {UV-induced fluorescence (UVIF) data that were obtained in the 1978 investigation of the Turin Shroud, were recently revisited by Pellicori supporting different behavior of background, non-image, and body image areas. Based on the experimental literature results, the chemical nature of that difference is discussed here. Former enzymatic analysis using pectinase indicated the presence of pectic substances, but only for fibers extracted from the background non-image areas. On the other hand, the high content of pectins in the primary cell wall (PCW) of flax fibers is well documented. The PCW is a thin outermost layer of fibers of approximately 0.2 μm, which corresponds to the layer where the body image is seen. Pectins are easier oxidized and destroyed than cellulose, the main component of the linen. In the present paper, pectins from the PCW of the linen fibers are proposed to participate in the initial stage of body image formation on the Turin Shroud, although they have been destroyed in that process. To demonstrate the presence of pectins in the fibers from the Shroud, the results of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode obtained by Fanti for body image and non-image fibers have been compared. Analyzed spectra do not exclude the presence of pectins. Thus, participation of pectins can explain some unique properties of the Shroud image, i.e., superficiality of the body image and nonuniform distribution of its yellow color.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - The Role of Pectins in the Body Image Formation on the Turin Shroud AU - Jan Stefan Jaworski Y1 - 2025/12/29 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15 DO - 10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15 T2 - International Journal of Archaeology JF - International Journal of Archaeology JO - International Journal of Archaeology SP - 178 EP - 184 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7595 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20251302.15 AB - UV-induced fluorescence (UVIF) data that were obtained in the 1978 investigation of the Turin Shroud, were recently revisited by Pellicori supporting different behavior of background, non-image, and body image areas. Based on the experimental literature results, the chemical nature of that difference is discussed here. Former enzymatic analysis using pectinase indicated the presence of pectic substances, but only for fibers extracted from the background non-image areas. On the other hand, the high content of pectins in the primary cell wall (PCW) of flax fibers is well documented. The PCW is a thin outermost layer of fibers of approximately 0.2 μm, which corresponds to the layer where the body image is seen. Pectins are easier oxidized and destroyed than cellulose, the main component of the linen. In the present paper, pectins from the PCW of the linen fibers are proposed to participate in the initial stage of body image formation on the Turin Shroud, although they have been destroyed in that process. To demonstrate the presence of pectins in the fibers from the Shroud, the results of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance (ATR) mode obtained by Fanti for body image and non-image fibers have been compared. Analyzed spectra do not exclude the presence of pectins. Thus, participation of pectins can explain some unique properties of the Shroud image, i.e., superficiality of the body image and nonuniform distribution of its yellow color. VL - 13 IS - 2 ER -
Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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