Proteolytic breakdown is limited. Water binding Due to fall in pH and denaturation of proteins the water binding capacity decreases. Factors affecting post-mortem changes 1. Any external or internal stress activates the homeostatic mechanism which generates variable physiological responses so as to tide over the stress symptoms. These are executed through hormones.
Adrenal hormones provide stress resistance.
Thyroid hormones - increase metabolic rate. Too low a temperature to which an animal is not acclimitized will lead to all such changes which generate and conserve heat like shivering, higher rate of metabolism etc. Too high a temperature will not allow an animal to dissipate body heat leading to ATP splitting and glycolysis. Humidity High levels of humidity add to discomfirt stress in a cold environment it increases heat loss and in a hot one it makes heat losses difficult. Light , sound, and space Darkness stresses the animal through the efforts made by it to go towards light.