Identification of 10-hydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid in adipocere

Identification of a disinterred grave by molecular and stable isotope analysis

“…Whilst lipid distributions obtained for soils A and C are consistent with the lipid composition of adipocere, as determined by several previous studies, that obtained for soil E does not agree with a predominant input of this type [5,10,11,12,38]. The lipid distribution obtained from this latter soil does correlate fairly well with that observed for lipids derived from adipose tissue [6,[22][23][24].…”

“…The high concentration of the C 18:1Δ9 fatty acid, in particular, is very characteristic of fresh mammalian fat indicating a surprisingly high level of preservation of organic matter in this soil. By comparison, the extracts obtained from A and C appear to have been afforded a lower level of preservation with the presence of relatively high concentrations of a monohydroxylated C 18:0 fatty acid presumably having arisen from the oxidation of the corresponding C 18:1Δ9 component generated during the transformation of adipose tissue to adipocere by bacteria [5,[10][11][12][13][14][15]38]. However, it should be noted that the concentration of monohydroxylated C 18:0 fatty acid observed in E is indicative of at least some adipocere formation in this soil.…”

“…buried, submerged) the sodium and potassium ions may be displaced by calcium and magnesium ions thereby forming the insoluble, white, greasy substance commonly referred to as adipocere; this is the saponifcation theory of adipocere formation [5,6]. As early as 1875, Ebert recognized that adipocere also contained a hydroxy-fatty acid which subsequent studies have shown to be 10-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid, a microbially mediated hydration product of the oleic acid that is the major component of human adipose fat [5,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Adipocere: What is known after over two centuries of research

“…In 1983, Takatori et al [48] identified 10-hydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid in adipocere. Experimental work was conducted on substrate specificity relating to the microbial production of hydroxy and oxo fatty acids [49] as well as hydration and dehydration factors [50].…”

Solid‐phase extraction in combination with GC/MS for the quantification of free fatty acids in adipocere

“…These saturated fatty acids are present in characteristic ratios, with palmitic acid being the most abundant acid, followed by stearic acid then myristic acid [1,2,4]. The minor components include TAG [2,11,12], hydroxy fatty acids such as 10-hydroxy stearic and 10-hydroxy palmitic acids [13][14][15][16], and sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium salts of fatty acids [12,17]. The fatty acid salts are thought to result from cation exchange with the surrounding environment and contribute to the stabilization of adipocere.…”