Chemical and physical characteristics of soap made from distilled fatty acids of palm oil and palm kernel oil

Manufacture of soaps from distilled fatty acids of palm oil (PO) and palm kernel oil (PK) is a well-established technology in Malaysia. Data on quality and characteristics of various blends of PO/PK fatty acid-based (palm-based) soaps made in Malaysia are not available, however. In view of this, the study described in this paper was undertaken. Eleven blends of palm-based bar soaps were made, and their properties were evaluated. There was an increase in the acid value of blended raw materials with increasing amounts of PK fatty acids. The iodine value and titer (°C) of blended raw materials, however, bear an inverse relationship with the amount of PK fatty acids. As expected, the hardness of the soap bars from the various blends increased with increasing PK fatty acid. Total fatty matter ranged from 76–85%, free caustic content was 0.1%, and sodium chloride content was 0.3–0.4%. Characteristics of soap blends made for this study were comparable with those from other countries. Quality of the soap obtained was comparable to those produced commercially.