Tucuma seed butter: SAP value and fatty acids
Tucuma seed butter has a saponification value of 236.25 mg KOH/g. One gram needs 0.168 g of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) for bar soap or 0.236 g of potassium hydroxide (KOH) for liquid soap to turn fully into soap, before any superfat.
Key numbers
- SAP, NaOH
- 0.168419 g per g oil
- SAP, KOH
- 0.23625 g per g oil
- Saponification value
- 236.25 mg KOH/g
- INCI name
- Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter
Example: 100 g of Tucuma seed butter with no superfat needs 16.8 g of 100% NaOH, or 23.6 g of 100% KOH. A 5% superfat uses 5% less.
In soap
Its main fatty acids in our cited profile are lauric (54.9%) and myristic (25.3%). The eight fatty acids used in soap-quality scores make up 96.4% of the profile.
On its own it scores 88 for hardness, 80 for cleansing and 9 for conditioning, with a saturated : unsaturated split of 88 : 9.
Tucuma butter is rich in lauric and myristic acids (like coconut or babassu), so it needs more lye than most butters. 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 acids | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| lauric | 54.9% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| myristic | 25.3% | hardness, cleansing, bubbly lather |
| palmitic | 5.3% | hardness, creamy lather |
| stearic | 2.3% | hardness, creamy lather |
| ricinoleic | 0% | conditioning, bubbly and creamy lather |
| oleic | 6% | conditioning |
| linoleic | 2.6% | conditioning |
| linolenic | 0% | conditioning |
Basis: Midpoints of the kernel-oil ranges for tucumã-do-Amazonas (Astrocaryum aculeatum, 'TAK') compiled in Teixeira et al. 2022 Table 3 (primary data: their ref. 35); α-linolenic not reported, recorded as 0.
Soap-quality scores (this oil alone)
| Hardness | 88 |
|---|---|
| Cleansing | 80 |
| Conditioning | 9 |
| Bubbly lather | 80 |
| Creamy lather | 8 |
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: 236.25 mg KOH/g (Median of the supplier sources; the peer-reviewed value was excluded (see its note)), from Evaluation of the quality of Amazonian butters as sustainable raw materials for applications in bioproducts. Rev Ciênc Farm Básica Apl. 2021;42:e708. doi:10.4322/2179-443X.0708, UNESP (peer-reviewed). Printed value: 182.42 ± 0.48 mg KOH/g.
Published values we checked:
- 225 - 250 mg KOH/g — Hallstar (manufacturer), hosted by Glenn Corp
- 235 mg KOH/g — The Soapery (UK soap supplier)
- 182.42 ± 0.48 mg KOH/g — UNESP (peer-reviewed)
Fatty acids: Teixeira G.L., Ibañez E., Block J.M. (2022) Emerging Lipids from Arecaceae Palm Fruits in Brazil. Molecules 27:4188. doi:10.3390/molecules27134188, MDPI (open access, peer-reviewed review). Also checked: UNESP (peer-reviewed) (Results text and Table 3).
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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