Karanja oil (pongamia): SAP value and fatty acids
Karanja oil (pongamia) has a saponification value of 190.5 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.136 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.191 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.135804 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.1905 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 190.5 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 76.1
- INS
- 114
- INCI name
- Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Karanja oil (pongamia) 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 (54.1%) and linoleic (15%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 89.3% of the profile.
On its own it scores 16 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 73 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 16 : 73.
Bitter, non-edible Indian oil (contains karanjin). Only supplier figures were readable; they agree well.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 9% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 7.4% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 54.1% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 15% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 3.8% | conditioning |
Basis: Front Plant Sci 2022 Table 2: mean of 5 elite Pongamia pinnata accessions (GC-MS area %).
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 16 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 73 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 16 |
| 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: 190.5 mg KOH/g (Median of sources' mgKoh_mid), from Saponification Chart, From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier). Printed value: 186 - 196 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 186 - 196 mg KOH/g — From Nature With Love (soap/cosmetic supplier)
- 185 - 195 mg KOH/g — Supplier CoA hosted on Shopify CDN (supplier name not printed on the PDF)
Fatty acids and iodine: Genome sequencing and analysis uncover the regulatory elements involved in the development and oil biosynthesis of Pongamia pinnata (Front Plant Sci 2022; DOI 10.3389/fpls.2022.747783), Frontiers (peer-reviewed, open access). Also checked: Royal Society of Chemistry (peer-reviewed, open access) (Table 2, physicochemical tests of Pongamia oil).
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 .