Rice bran oil: SAP value and fatty acids

Rice bran oil has a saponification value of 189.5 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
0.135091 g per g oil
SAP, KOH
0.1895 g per g oil
Saponification value
189.5 mg KOH/g
Iodine value
102.5
INS
87
INCI name
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil

Example: 100 g of Rice bran oil with no superfat needs 13.5 g of 100% NaOH, or 19.0 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.

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In soap

Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are oleic (43%) and linoleic (31.5%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 97.6% of the profile.

On its own it scores 22 for hardness, 1 for cleansing and 76 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 22 : 76.

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 acidsCounts toward
lauric0.1%hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather
myristic0.5%hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather
palmitic18.5%hardness, creamy lather
stearic2.5%hardness, creamy lather
ricinoleic0%conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather
oleic43%conditioning
linoleic31.5%conditioning
linolenic1.5%conditioning

Basis: Codex CXS 210 Table 1 (rice bran oil) midpoints; Codex range midpoints; 'ND' = 0, 'ND–x' or '<x' = x/2.

Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)

Hardness22
Cleansing1
Conditioning76
Bubbly lather1
Creamy lather21
Iodine103
INS87

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: 189.5 mg KOH/g (Codex CXS 210 range midpoint), from Codex Alimentarius CXS 210-1999, Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (Table 2: chemical and physical characteristics), FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Printed value: 180–199 mg KOH/g.

Published values we checked:

Fatty acids and iodine: Codex Alimentarius CXS 210-1999, Standard for Named Vegetable Oils (Table 2: chemical and physical characteristics), FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. Also checked: USDA Agricultural Research Service (SR Legacy release 2018-04 (bulk CSV food_nutrient.csv); fatty acids in g/100 g food); Deutsche Gesellschaft für Fettwissenschaft (DGF) (Iodine value table).

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 .