Archaeological Investigations of Dairying

if any, studies appear to demonstrate the persistence of short-chain fatty acids in archaeological residues, either esterilied to glycerol or in the free state (see, however, Mirabaud et al., 2007). Short-term laboratory incubation experiments provide empirical data demonstrating the speed at which hydrolysis takes place (Dudd and Evershed, 1998 Dudd et al., 1998). Once released from the glycerol backbone, these fatty acids are both more soluble and thus 

The main pathways of the breakdown of fatty acids in biological systems involve oxidation at various points along the chain or oxidation at certain double bonds of specific unsaturated fatty acids (Coultate, 2001 90-98). The main forms of oxidation are termed a-, (3- and to-. They are named depending on which carbon of the chain is attacked. Of these (3-oxidation is the most general and prevalent. Degradation proceeds by the liberation of two-carbon (acetyl-CoA) fragments from the chain. The enzymes responsible for oxidation are widely found in plants, animals and micro-organisms. 

The data presented above tend to support the idea that dairying was introduced simultaneously with, or soon after, the adoption of cereal agriculture and domestication of animals. Can other evidence be deployed to support or refute this hypothesis Detection of casein using immunochemistry has also 

South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. A number of positive results were obtained and these compared well with the analysis of the fatty acids. However, some samples gave a negative result for ocsl-casein but a positive one for milk fat based on the A13C value. The possibility exists that some of the residues represent sheep milk (which would give a negative result for bovine asi-casein), or that in some cases the casein molecule is degraded with consequent depletion of the immunological response. 

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