Pores of Neolithic Pottery Sherds ‑ Place for Selective Adsorption of Minor Lipophilic Compounds.
Matlova V., Kyselka J., Filip V. jr., Pavlu I., Filip V., Department of dairy, fat and cosmetic science, Institue of Chemical Technology in Prague and Institute of archaeology of academy of sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic 

Sherds of Neolithic pottery vessels are the source of organic compounds. Composition of these compounds is variable due to their alteration and decay. It strongly depends on conditions of sherd preservation (access to oxygen, water activity, microbial degradation etc.). Complex lipid mixtures consist of homolipids, minor lipophilic compounds and their oxidation or hydrolytic products. These compounds were concentrated in the macro and in micropores of Neolithic pottery sherds. It was proved that pores selectively bound minor lipophilic compounds with suitable geometry and polarity of molecules (sterols and their esters, triterpenoids, waxes, fatty acids and hydrocarbons). These substances are useful markers describing Neolithic diet in detail. 
Lipid residues in pottery fragments from Neolithic settlement in Bylany (Bylany-Kutna Hora, Czech Republic) were analysed. Pottery sherds were washed in ultrasonic water bath. Folch extraction (chloroform/methanol, 2:1 v/v) of lipophilic compounds with or without disintegration of pottery sherd was compared. Lipid classes were separated by solid-phase extraction (SPE). After the derivatization of individual lipid fractions GC/MS and GC/FID was used for quantitative and qualitative analysis. Long chain aliphatic hydrocarbons (C19‑C31), waxes, fatty acids, phytosterols, cholesterol and triterpenoids were detected in analyzed samples. Some samples contained low content of triacylglycerols and their partial esters. 
Selective adsorption of lipophilic compounds with different geometry and polarity in Neolithic pottery pores was investigated. Structure of pores was measured by digital microscopic system KH‑7700 (Hirox, Japan) and electron microscope TESCAN VEGA 3 LMU (Tescan, Czech Republic).