Adipocere formation—The result of insufficient microbial degradation

Abstract

Decomposition of human tissue is a microbial process. Microorganisms need certain environmental conditions to be able to grow and to degrade organic substances of tissue. Conditions that disturb degradation result in adipocere. Adipocere is a predominantly whitish, crumbly, inodorous, fatty feeling lipid bulk, which is originated mainly from human or animal fat. It may persist for many decades. Three reasons are repeatedly given for adipocere: formation of hydroxy fatty acids, a high amount of water in the environment of the corpse and lack of oxygen. Fatty acids can be exclusively degraded by respiration but not by fermentation. Microorganisms produce polyhydroxy fatty acids as storage substances comparable to human fat, in the presence of a surplus of organic compounds but a lack of other essential substances for the microbial activity like oxygen. In the end, formation of adipocere is the result of oxygen deprivation. In contact with oxygen adipocere can be degraded by microorganisms, but this is a long lasting process as oxygen exchange is very limited in soil and water.