Evaluation of ninhydrin as a fingermark visualisation method - A comparison between different procedures as an outcome of the 2017 collaborative exercise of the ENFSI Fingerprint Working Group

Francesco Zampa; Monika Hilgert; Jonas Malmborg; Maria Svensson; Lothar Schwarz; Aldo Mattei; ENFSI Fingerprint Working Group

doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2019.11.003

Evaluation of ninhydrin as a fingermark visualisation method - A comparison between different procedures as an outcome of the 2017 collaborative exercise of the ENFSI Fingerprint Working Group

Sci Justice. 2020 Mar;60(2):191-200. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2019.11.003. Epub 2019 Dec 4.

Authors

Francesco Zampa¹, Monika Hilgert², Jonas Malmborg³, Maria Svensson³, Lothar Schwarz⁴, Aldo Mattei⁵; ENFSI Fingerprint Working Group

Affiliations

¹ Reparto Carabinieri Investigazioni Scientifiche (R.I.S.), Parma, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.zampa@carabinieri.it.
² Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), Wiesbaden, Germany.
³ National Forensic Centre (NFC), Linkoping, Sweden.
⁴ KT14-3, Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), Wiesbaden, Germany.
⁵ Reparto Carabinieri Investigazioni Scientifiche (R.I.S.), Messina, Italy.

PMID: 32111293
DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2019.11.003

Abstract

In 2017 the Fingerprint Working Group (EFP-WG) of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) undertook a collaborative exercise (CE) with the aim of assessing the use of ninhydrin as a fingermark development technique in the laboratory. The test was prepared and managed by the officially established advisory group. The characteristics of the CE are summarised. The results indicate that ninhydrin is a robust methodology. Unexpected negative outcomes have been outlined and discussed, followed by an overview of the knowledge that has been gained.

Keywords: ENFSI EFP-WG; Fingermarks; Ninhydrin; Visualisation collaborative exercise.