Buriti fruit oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Buriti fruit oil has a saponification value of 190 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.135 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.190 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.135448 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.19 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 190 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 76.4
- INS
- 114
- INCI name
- Mauritia Flexuosa Fruit Oil
Example: 100 g of Buriti fruit oil with no superfat needs 13.5 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.0 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are oleic (77.3%) and palmitic (17%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 98.8% of the profile.
On its own it scores 19 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 80 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 19 : 80.
Oleic-rich palm-fruit oil. Four separate lab studies measured 189-193, so 190 is used. Its deep orange colour comes from beta-carotene. Published sources for this oil differ by more than 3%, so checking your supplier's certificate of analysis matters more than usual.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0.3% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 17% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 1.6% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 77.3% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 1.6% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 1% | conditioning |
Basis: Peer-reviewed GC of Mauritia flexuosa oils sampled in Pará, Brazil (Foods 2025, Table 2), mean of the six consistent samples BT2-BT7.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 19 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 80 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 19 |
| Iodine | 76 |
| INS | 114 |
Each score adds up certain fatty acids, the way Soap Ledger scores a whole recipe. They are for comparing recipes; they don't predict how a bar will feel, and they say nothing about safety or skin.
Sources
SAP value: 190 mg KOH/g (Median of four independent peer-reviewed lab measurements (188.6, 189.2, 190.4, 193.1 = 189.8, rounded to 190). Theoretical 193-194 for a pure triglyceride; the measured values sit about 2% lower, consistent with buriti's carotenoids and other unsaponifiables. The earlier 193 relied partly on supplier tables (FNWL's 185-240 range is too wide to use).), from Novel Organogels from Mauritia flexuosa L.f and Caryodendron orinocense Karst.: A Topical Alternative ... Pharmaceutics 15(12):2681 (2023). doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15122681, MDPI (peer-reviewed, open access; PMC10747660). Printed value: 190.405 ± 2.412 mgKOH/g (Table 1) mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 185 - 240 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
- 193 mg KOH/g — The Soapery (UK soap supplier)
- 189.21 ± 0.70 mg KOH/g — MDPI (open access, peer-reviewed)
- 193.10 ± 0.04 mg KOH/g (AOCS Cd 3-25) mg KOH/g — Springer (peer-reviewed; PMC8754474)
- 188.62 ± 3.31 mgKOH/g (AOCS Cd 3-25) mg KOH/g — MDPI (peer-reviewed, open access; PMC9229003)
- 190.405 ± 2.412 mgKOH/g (Table 1) mg KOH/g — MDPI (peer-reviewed, open access; PMC10747660)
- Saponification number 185-210 mg KOH/g mg KOH/g — Skinchakra (EU supplier)
- 50 market samples, SAP as low as 77 mg KOH/g, population SD ±44.30 mg KOH/g — MDPI (peer-reviewed, open access; PMC12072000)
Fatty acids and iodine: Chemometric Tools Associated with Quality Parameters for Evaluation of Mauritia flexuosa L. oils (Foods 14(9):1585, 2025). doi:10.3390/foods14091585, MDPI (peer-reviewed, open access; PMC12072000). Also checked: MDPI (open access, peer-reviewed) (Table 2 (Miriti)).
NaOH and KOH values are converted from mg KOH/g with the molar masses 39.997 and 56.106 and rounded to 6 decimals, exactly as in the Soap Ledger app. Real oils vary by origin, grade and lot: check your supplier's certificate of analysis. Verify every weight before you make this, and follow lye safety. Not a safety or compliance certification.
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