Rapid Identification of Ivory and Its Products Based on Ash Content Determination

Addressing the current issue of mixed authenticity and difficulty in identification of ivory and its products, this study proposed a rapid, effective, and economical identification method based on ash content determination method. The inorganic content characteristics of ivory and its commonly confused counterparts (including mammoth ivory, wild boar tusk, bovine bone, antler, tagua, and plastic products) were clarified by systematically analyzing their chemical composition differences with ash determination method. The results showed that the ash content of ivory was significantly higher than that of mammoth ivory, antler, tagua and plastic products, while significantly lower than that of wild boar tusk and bovine bone, which enables rapid differentiation between ivory and its easily confused counterparts. This method can reduce the cost and improve the efficiency of identification, providing a novel and constructive solution to the issue of elephant conservation.