Chicken fat (schmaltz): SAP value and fatty acids
Chicken fat (schmaltz) has a saponification value of 190.2 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.136 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
- 0.13559 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.1902 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 190.2 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 81.2
- INS
- 109
- INCI name
- No Cosing Entry Found For Chicken Fat
Example: 100 g of Chicken fat (schmaltz) with no superfat needs 13.6 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 (39.1%) and palmitic (22.6%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 90.4% of the profile.
On its own it scores 30 for hardness, 1 for cleansing and 61 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 30 : 61.
Only one readable source. A 2012 paper (Dzaferovic et al., Tehnologija mesa 53(1):8-13, doi:10.5937/tehmesa1201008d) reportedly gives 190–193, but I saw that only in a search snippet, so it is not recorded. Only one published source was found for this value; confirm it against your supplier's certificate of analysis.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0.1% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0.9% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 22.6% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 6.3% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 39.1% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 20.4% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 1% | conditioning |
Basis: USDA FDC SR Legacy 173564, converted to % of total fatty acids.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 30 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 1 |
| Conditioning | 61 |
| Bubbly lather | 1 |
| Creamy lather | 29 |
| Iodine | 81 |
| INS | 109 |
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: 190.2 mg KOH/g (Single source only), from Chart of Saponification Values for Making Soap (averages compiled 2006 from distributors), Certified Lye. Printed value: NaOH 0.1356 / KOH 0.1910 g alkali per g oil.
Published values we checked:
Fatty acids and iodine: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Fat, chicken (FDC ID 173564), U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Also checked: Elsevier (Table 2 (CF)).
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.
Last updated .