The NSF facility observed the pyrolysis products of polysaccharides as a function of their relative temperatures of decomposition. For example, they detected traces of furfural from the anomalous pentosan gum layer in the radiocarbon-sample area. They easily detected hydroxyproline from the proteins of the blood spots. No evidence for a bioplastic polymer was detected on either non-image or image areas.

Additionally, Rogers, Joan Rogers, and Al Adler spent many hours looking at samples from the Shroud under microscopes and running microchemical spot tests. There were no anomalous indexes of refraction, there were no amorphous materials cementing fibers (except for the blood/serum and some pentosans on yarn segments taken from the Raes and radiocarbon samples), and there were no sulfur compounds on the surface (except in the blood/serum areas). No "bioplastic polymers" are absolutely devoid of amino acids (proteins) and sulfoproteins. There is no significant amount of bioplastic polymers on the main part of the Shroud.

See:     Did a bioplastic growth on the fibers cause an error in the carbon 14 dating?

The late Dr. Alan D. Adler, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Western Connecticut University, in an article entitled, “The Nature of the Body Images on the Shroud of Turin,” comments:

In “The DNA of God?”, Garza-Valdez makes a large number of extravagant claims, many of them self contradictory, at odds with accepted Shroud scientific literature, or at odds with basic accepted biochemical, chemical, or physical knowledge. This is illustrated by the DNA claim.

The problem with the DNA claim is not that human DNA was isolated, but in identifying whose DNA it is. The Shroud has been contaminated by human contact countless times, offering many problems in this type of analysis (56). This is particularly true for blood samples (56) and for old (57) blood samples in particular. Mature human red blood cells are enucleate and heme containing materials inhibit the amplifying enzymes(57). This is illustrated by the recent difficulties reported by Ludes (58) in an attempted analysis of a royal French blood sample from 1832. Nor does Valdez help his own case any when later in the book he claims that the hemoglobin present is some other type of Soret absorbing material i.e., porphyrin structure. He suggests cytochrome-f , bacteriochlorophyll, or cytochrome oxidase. These are all readily spectroscopically distinguished from hemoglobin ((59,60,61) and the first two are only associated with non-mammalian photosynthesizing systems which hardly helps making a case for the provenance of the alleged human DNA. His own collaborator, Tryon, has admitted to problems with the provenance. It is hardly surprising that the ecclesiastic officials have refused to accept the validity of this work.

His next major contention is that the entire cloth is more or less covered by a bioplastic coating deposited by a novel microbe that he himself has discovered in the Shroud samples in his possession. He claims this bioplastic has corrupted the radiocarbon date and even suggests that the microbes may be responsible for creating the body image by depositing more material in the image areas than in the background, ignoring the observed fact that the background fluoresces while the image areas do not. Are we to take seriously the notion that such microbial growth could produce the VP-8 characteristic? It should be noted that to corrupt the observed radiodate from a first century date to that reported (62) requires about a 50% increase in the C14 mole fraction. This is a prodigious amount of bacterial metabolism. Even if we ignore the Second Law of Thermodynamics and only satisfy the First Law, where does all this energy for growth come from? Are the organisms photosynthetic? Where does the mass come from? Does this microorganism fix the nitrogen from air as required for its growth and metabolism? Where does it get its sulfur, phosphorus, and minerals from and to where have they disappeared?

The bioplastic has been identified as a polyester (55). This is of interest since although he claims it is pervasive this amount of polyester is not seen in the whole cloth infrared spectral studies (33), nor in the micro FTIR fiber studies (4,44), nor in the enzymatic studies described above. Clearly, there is a difference of opinion as to the amounts of this material that are on the cloth. There is also a problem with his claim that this material resists attack by alkali and that has prevented the decontamination of the radiocarbon samples. The care labels on polyester fabrics make it clear that they are subject to attack by alkalis and it should be noted that the ready alkaline hydrolysis of esters is the whole basis of the soap industry. It seems that his evidence for large amounts is based on what he sees in a microscope. Looking at his micrographs, however, gives us pause for new concerns. He shows us a magnified picture of the weave of the whole cloth and says see how shiny it is — bioplastic coated. Unfortunately, he seems to be unaware that all linen looks like this. It is called luster and it is one of the characteristics by which linen is distinguished from other fabrics (63,64,65). For many of the pictures of what appear to be entubulated fibers a question arises as to whether one is really seeing tubes or only diffraction artifacts, as the smaller objects in the field show pronounced diffraction rings, indicating that the field is simply out of focus. His work lacks hard convincing quantitative evidence on which one can judge the merit of his claims.

Shroud of Turin and the Skeptical Inquirer

By some estimates, from examination of documenting photographs, there is sufficient new thread (about 60%) to allow adjusting the cloth's date to approximately the first century.

The images are probably the product of an amino/carbonyl reaction.

The blood probably stayed red and did not turn black as blood normally does because trace chemicals found in the starch fractions are hemolytic. Also, the blood is rich in bilirubin, a bile pigment produced when a human body is under severe traumatic stress. Bilirubin is bright red and stays red.

This supports the hypothesis of an amino/carbonyl reaction.

Fragmentary evidence suggests that the Edessa Cloth originated in Jerusalem in the 1st century and that it is the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth.