GLOBAL TRENDS IN ENTOMOTOXICOLOGY FORENSICS: INNOVATIONS, CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Idha Arfianti Wiraagni; Melodia Rezadhini; Naufal Tsabiqul Azmi; Lia Yulianti Siregar; Putri Anggun Dhiasworo; Muhammad Farid Rahman; Didi Erwandi Mohamad Haron

doi:10.31970/ma.v8i02.426

Idha Arfianti Wiraagni Department of Forensic and Medicolegal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Melodia Rezadhini Department of Agricultural Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Naufal Tsabiqul Azmi Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Biodiversity, Sumbawa Technology University, Sumbawa, Indonesia
Lia Yulianti Siregar Department of Forensic and Medicolegal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Putri Anggun Dhiasworo Department of Forensic and Medicolegal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Muhammad Farid Rahman Master Program Student of Entomology, Faculty of Biology, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Didi Erwandi Mohamad Haron Shimadzu Universiti Malaya High Impact Research Testing and Research Analytical Laboratory (SUTRALAB) Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Renovation), Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31970/ma.v8i02.426

Keywords: Forensic entomotoxicology; Post-mortem interval estimation; Innovative forensic toxicology; Analytical method development; Public health and safety; Scientific evidence reliability; Medico-legal justice.

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Forensic entomotoxicology is increasingly important in medico-legal investigations, particularly when conventional biological matrices are unavailable due to advanced decomposition. Necrophagous insects can retain xenobiotics and exhibit drug-induced developmental changes that may affect post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation. However, a comprehensive overview of global research trends and methodological progress in this field remains limited. This study supports SDGs 3(Good Health and Well-Being), 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), and 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) by promoting innovative and standardized forensic entomotoxicology practices to enhance toxicological detection and evidentiary reliability. This study aimed to evaluate global publication trends, summarize analytical and experimental approaches, and identify key challenges in forensic entomotoxicology. A combined bibliometric analysis and narrative review was conducted using Scopus and PubMed databases, covering publications from 1991 to 2025. Following systematic screening, 87 peer-reviewed studies involving 5,214 insect samples across various developmental stages were analyzed. Extracted data included insect taxa, xenobiotic classes, analytical platforms, and forensic outcomes. The results showed a marked increase in publications after 2010, peaking in 2023. Most studies focused on qualitative xenobiotic detection, while several evaluated developmental effects relevant to PMI estimation. Analytical methods evolved from GC-MS and HPLC to advanced LC-MS/MS and spectroscopic techniques. Although insects proved reliable as alternative matrices, quantitative correlations with human tissues remained inconsistent. Standardized methodologies and validated reference models are therefore essential to support the routine forensic application of entomotoxicology.

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