Abstract: | Acidolysis reaction of sal fat (Shorea robusta) with palmitic acid has been studied in relation to the operating variables like catalyst system and concentration, reaction temperature and time and molar ratios of reactants with the object of introducing more palmitic acid which is low in sal fat. The results demonstrate that as low as 2.5% and as high as 39% palmitic acid can be introduced in sal fat at the expense of other acids under the influence of various operating conditions. The products obtained differ from original sal fat in respect of chemical composition and slip point. The importance of such study is that there are possibilities of getting plastic fats of diverse properties for edible and industrial uses. |