Chemical test for mammalian feces: collaborative study.

A chemical method was developed to determine the presence of mammalian feces in food. The method consisted of the colorimetric determination of alkaline phosphatase and involved the splitting of the phosphate radical and phenolphthalein diphosphate and the resultant color development of phenolphthalein in a basic medium. A collaborative study testing the feces of 22 animals resulted in a 95% correct identification of samples as mammalian feces. The method has been adopted official first action.