Adipocere fmt
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adipocere forensic medicine definition formation conditions
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Adipocere (also called grave wax or saponification) is a late postmortem change in which body fat is converted into a soft, waxy, greasy material.
- Appearance: Initially soft, moist, whitish and translucent. With time it becomes dry, hard, yellowish, cracked, and brittle.
- Mechanism: Hydrolysis and hydrogenation of body fat produce fatty acids, chiefly palmitic, stearic, oleic, and hydroxy-stearic acids. These can form insoluble soaps with calcium and ammonium ions. Endogenous lipases and bacterial enzymes, notably from Clostridium perfringens, contribute.
- Favorable conditions: Warm, moist, poorly oxygenated environments. It is common in bodies submerged in water, buried in damp soil, or kept in airtight coffins.
- Common sites: Subcutaneous fat of the face, breasts, buttocks, and abdomen. It may also involve fat in internal organs.
- Time: May begin in about 3 weeks under favorable warm conditions, but more obvious formation and hardening generally take months.
- Forensic importance: It inhibits further putrefaction and can preserve body shape, facial features, and injuries for a long time. It supports an inference of prolonged exposure to moist conditions, but does not establish an exact postmortem interval on its own.
Source: The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 36th ed., pp. 175-176.
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