Rapid Extraction of Human DNA Containing Humic Acid

The identification process of dead bodies or human remains is nowadays conducted in numerous fields of forensic science, archeology and other judicial cases. A particular problem is the isolation and DNA typing of human remains found in mass graves, due to the degradation process, as well as post mortal DNA contamination with bacteria, fungi, humic acids, metals, etc. In this study, the influence of humic acid (HA) on the DNA extraction and typing is investigated. If present in the amplification reaction mix, humic acid inhibited DNA amplification, but the addition of 50 mg PVPP (polyvinil-polypyrrolidone) to the reaction mixture before extraction appeared to be optimal in overcoming this inhibition