Question

How long does embalming fluid preserve a body?

Answer 1

Hint: Embalming fluid is a fluid made up of different chemicals which helps in the preservation of a deceased human body. Embalming fluid contains a combination of different chemicals like formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, methanol, and other solvents. This method of preservation has existed since ancient times.

Complete answer:
People often think that embalming entirely stops the decaying process of the body, but this is not true. Embalmed body can last two or more weeks or years.
Embalming is meant to be temporary preservation only for the funeral purpose or for medical research in anatomical laboratories. No funeral home could guarantee that casketed remains will forever look the way they do on the day of the burial
There are too many factors that affect the time up to which the body will be preserved and affect the final result.
Anatomical embalming is done via flushing the circulatory system with embalming fluid. This process is done in standard embalming. The GI tract is also flushed, and the abdominal and chest cavity are injected with embalming fluid. In extensive embalming the spinal fluid is also eliminated and replaced with embalming fluid, the bodies are then stored in refrigerated rooms.

Formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde present in embalming fluid fixes tissues or cells by irreversibly binding a primary amine group in a protein molecule.

Note:
Embalming fluid acts to fix or denature cellular proteins and stops any cellular reaction. After embalming the cell cannot act as a nutrient source for bacteria. Embalming fluid also kills the bacteria themselves. Natural means of preservation include freezing, desiccation/exsiccation either by dry cold or by dry heat, and the nature of the soil.