Death and Decomposition Practice Test 2026 - Free Death and Decomposition Practice Questions and Study Guide

Adipocere is a waxy, soap-like substance formed from body fats when conditions are moist and low in oxygen. In damp, anaerobic settings—such as buried bodies in soil or bodies submerged in water—fats undergo hydrolysis and saponification, where fats turn into fatty acids and glycerol that combine to create this waxy coating. This adipocere coats tissues and slows decay by limiting microbial activity and reducing the rate of putrefaction. The environment’s moisture and lack of oxygen are key, which is why dry, airy conditions don’t produce it, mineralization is a different process, and livor mortis is just a color change from blood settling, not the formation of fat-based wax.