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Can handling pineapples have an effect on one's fingerprints? I saw this on a 'Hawaii 5-0' episode, still, there must be something to it.

Question #93454. Asked by randomchaos.
Last updated Feb 18 2017.

toughynutter
Answer has 5 votes
Currently Best Answer
toughynutter
18 year member
303 replies

Answer has 5 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
Yes, according to a designer of a fingerprint-verification system designed to work with less-than-optimal prints.

"The people providing the fingerprint samples are subjected to different 'adverse' conditions; from wetness to chemical treatments. Fingerprint images are taken after conditions such as: after a shower, holding pineapples (mild acid from fruit), after washing one’s hands, etc. The characteristics of POPFNN, such as the learning, generalisation, and high computational abilities, make fingerprint verification particularly powerful when verifying authentic fingerprints subjected to external conditions and recognising spurious ones."
link https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11341568

"Workers who cut up pineapples have their fingerprints almost completely obliterated by pressure and the keratolytic effect of bromelain (calcium oxalate crystals and citric acid were excluded as the cause)."
link http://tinypineapple.com/gallery/the-pineapple-girl-honolulu

"Repeated exposure of pineapple cutters to bromelain can result in the obliteration of fingerprints."
link https://www.drugs.com/npp/pineapple.html

Response last updated by MrNobody97 on Feb 18 2017.
Mar 13 2008, 1:45 AM
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