What is the recommended step before packaging samples of blood evidence?

Before packaging samples of blood evidence, air drying is a crucial step. The primary reason for air drying blood samples is to reduce the moisture content, which helps prevent microbial growth and degradation of the sample before it is collected and sent to the lab for analysis. Moisture can lead to contamination or the deterioration of the sample, which would compromise the integrity of the evidence and potentially impact the results of any subsequent testing.

This process involves allowing the blood sample to dry in a controlled environment, ensuring that it does not come into contact with any surfaces that could introduce contaminants. Once the sample is adequately dried, it can then be properly packaged in an appropriate evidence container that protects it from further exposure to the environment.

The other options, while important in various contexts of handling evidence, do not specifically address the immediate and essential step of drying the blood samples to maintain their viability. Refrigerating blood evidence might be necessary after packaging to preserve it, but it is not the step taken before packaging. Stabilizing and testing for contamination are considerations that come later in the process once the integrity of the sample has first been ensured through drying.