The amount of melanin pigments was investigated in 95 Peruvian alpaca, representative of six different fleece colours, by means of spectrophotometric assays: SpEM (Spectrophotometric Eumelanin), SpPM (Spectrophotometric Pheomelanin), SpASM (Spectrophotometric Alkali Soluble Melanin), and SpTM (Spectrophotometric Total Melanin). It was found that these melanin pigments were suitable for identifying three homogeneous groups, each consisting of two closely related colours. A low, an intermediate, and a high amount of SpASM, SpTM, and SpPM characterize pinkish grey and light reddish brown, brown and reddish brown, dark reddish brown and black fleeces, respectively. SpEM and SpTM provide a further split within this latter group; higher concentrations of these pigments distinguish black fleece from dark reddish brown. © Copyright T. Cecchi et al., 2011.

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