Studies of adipocere using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy

Diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy has been used to study soil sampl es known to contain adipocere, the waxy material which can form from the ti ssue of human remains. In this preliminary study, the technique demonstrate s potential as a means of determining the nature of adipocere formation. In particular, the types of fatty acids present may be discerned. Samples obt ained from cemetery exhumations and forensic sites have been investigated. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.