Adipocere formation in a river environment

Abstract

Adipocere is a late post-mortem decomposition product that consists of a mixture of fatty acids. The rate of formation of adipocere in a river water environment has been monitored. Adipocere formed from pig adipose tissue has been analysed using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GCMS ) in order to determine the fatty acid composition, and hence, the degree of formation in the different environments. The study shows that the rate at which adipocere forms depends on the type of aqueous environment