Papaya seed oil: SAP value and fatty acids
Papaya seed oil has a saponification value of 193.5 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.138 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.194 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.137943 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.1935 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 193.5 mg KOH/g
- Iodine value
- 80
- INS
- 114
- INCI name
- Carica Papaya Seed Oil
Example: 100 g of Papaya seed oil with no superfat needs 13.8 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.4 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are oleic (71.3%) and palmitic (16.2%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 98.7% of the profile.
On its own it scores 21 for hardness, 0 for cleansing and 78 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 21 : 78.
High-oleic oil (about 70% oleic acid), so its lye need is close to olive oil's. Sources agree well.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | % of fatty acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 0% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 0.2% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 16.2% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 4.7% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 71.3% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 6.1% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0.2% | conditioning |
Basis: Malacrida et al. 2011 Table 3, crude oil from Formosa-variety papaya seeds, mean of 3.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 21 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 0 |
| Conditioning | 78 |
| Bubbly lather | 0 |
| Creamy lather | 21 |
| Iodine | 80 |
| 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: 193.5 mg KOH/g (Two peer-reviewed lab measurements (Malacrida 2011: 196.4; Yanty 2014: 193.5) plus a supplier COA (190) all sit within 2% of the theoretical 193.1. Value unchanged.), from Characterization of a high oleic oil extracted from papaya (Carica papaya L.) seeds (Malacrida et al., Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos 31(4), 2011; DOI 10.1590/S0101-20612011000400016), SBCTA / SciELO (peer-reviewed, open access). Printed value: 196.40 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 196.40 mg KOH/g — SBCTA / SciELO (peer-reviewed, open access)
- 193.5 mg KOH/g — Japan Oil Chemists' Society (peer-reviewed)
- 192 mg KOH/g — The Soapery (UK soap supplier)
- Saponification Value mgKOH/g 190 mg KOH/g — Unnamed Australian supplier (COA PDF hosted on a Shopify store CDN; author field 'Sarah Hancock')
- 209.07 ± 4.86 (ultrasonic extraction); 153.96 ± 8.97 (Soxhlet) mg KOH/g — Wiley (peer-reviewed, open access)
Fatty acids and iodine: Characterization of a high oleic oil extracted from papaya (Carica papaya L.) seeds (Malacrida et al., Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos 31(4), 2011; DOI 10.1590/S0101-20612011000400016), SBCTA / SciELO (peer-reviewed, open access). Also checked: Unnamed Australian supplier (COA PDF hosted on a Shopify store CDN; author field 'Sarah Hancock') (Fatty acid profile section).
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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