Ostrich oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Ostrich oil has a saponification value of 196.63 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.140 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.197 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.140174 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.19663 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 196.63 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 71.4
- INS
- 125
- INCI name
- Ostrich Oil
Example: 100 g of Ostrich oil with no superfat needs 14.0 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.7 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are oleic (37.6%) and palmitic (28.6%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 90.8% of the profile.
On its own it scores 36 for hardness, 1 for cleansing and 55 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 36 : 55.
Rendered ostrich fat; similar to other poultry fats.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0.7% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 28.6% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 6.7% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 37.6% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 15.4% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 1.8% | conditioning |
Basis: Bahonar et al. 2025 (Nutr Food Health Dis 12(3):41–50, doi:10.61882/nfsr.12.3.41) Table 1: mean of the liquid and solid fractions of wet-rendered ostrich fat. Oleic includes C18:1 trans 0.4; linoleic includes C18:2 trans 0.15. Lauric 0.04–0.05..
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 36 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 1 |
| Conditioning | 55 |
| Bubbly lather | 1 |
| Creamy lather | 35 |
| Iodine | 71 |
| INS | 125 |
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: 196.63 mg KOH/g (Median of sources' mgKoh_mid), from Investigating Fatty Acids, Triglycerides and Physicochemical Characteristics of Ostrich Oil for Human Nutrition (Nutrition and Food in Health and Disease 12(3):41–50, 2025; Univ. of Tehran), Shahid Beheshti Univ. of Medical Sciences (peer-reviewed). Printed value: 198.35 (liquid fraction); 197.97 (solid fraction) mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 198.35 (liquid fraction); 197.97 (solid fraction) mg KOH/g — Shahid Beheshti Univ. of Medical Sciences (peer-reviewed)
- NaOH 0.1385 / KOH 0.1951 g alkali per g oil — Certified Lye
Fatty acids and iodine: Investigating Fatty Acids, Triglycerides and Physicochemical Characteristics of Ostrich Oil for Human Nutrition (Nutrition and Food in Health and Disease 12(3):41–50, 2025; Univ. of Tehran), Shahid Beheshti Univ. of Medical Sciences (peer-reviewed).
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 .