Chia Seed Oil
INCI Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil. CAS 93384-40-8; EC 297-250-8, as CosIng gives them. Also: Salvia hispanica seed oil, Chia oil.
Published values
| Saponification value | 197–222.66 mg KOH/g (typical 197) |
| Used by the calculator | 197.0 mg KOH/g (typical) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1404 g/g |
| Iodine value | 180–220 g I₂/100 g (typical 197) |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 0 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | 0.087–1.12 % |
A bar made of 100 % Chia Seed Oil
Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.
How much lye
| Oil | NaOH | KOH |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | 66.7 g(66.7–75.4) | 93.6 g(93.6–105.8) |
| 1 kg | 133.4 g(133.4–150.8) | 187.2 g(187.2–211.5) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 60.5 g(60.5–68.4) | 84.9 g(84.9–95.9) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 121.0 g(121.0–136.8) | 169.8 g(169.8–191.9) |
For this oil alone at 5 % superfat, with pure sodium hydroxide (NaOH) or pure potassium hydroxide (KOH); in brackets, across the published range of its saponification value. KOH is usually sold at 90 %: divide by 0.9. For a whole recipe, open the calculator.
Fatty-acid profile
Saturated : unsaturated 11 : 89
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid | C14:0 · saturated | 0.06 | 0.1 |
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 6.7–7.2 (typical 6.7) | 6.7 |
| Palmitoleic acid | C16:1 | 0.09 | 0.1 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 2.78–3.45 (typical 3.45) | 3.5 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 4.32–8.34 (typical 6.42) | 6.4 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 12.14–19.23 (typical 19.23) | 19.2 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | 60.56–68.6 (typical 62.16) | 62.2 |
| Arachidic acid | C20:0 · saturated | 0.29–0.55 (typical 0.29) | 0.3 |
| Gadoleic acid | C20:1 | 0.13 | 0.1 |
Where these numbers come from
Table 1 fatty-acid composition (n = 3).
Table 1 iodine value 197 g I2/100 g of the unmodified chia seed oil; Table 2 fatty-acid composition; Table 4 density and viscosity.
Iodine value 193.42 g/100 g, peroxide value, free fatty acids (raw oil, day 0); Table 2 fatty acids.
Table 2: saponification index 222.66 mg KOH/g, iodine index 193.45 g I/100 g, unsaponifiable 0.087 %, acid value 2.053, peroxide 17.5, refractive index 1.4761, relative density 0.9241.
Table 1 row 'Chia seed oil': iodine value 180-220, saponification value 197, unsaponifiable 1.12 %, density 0.93 (review's reference [39]).
Fatty acids: 'typical' values are Table 1 of the PRIMARY paper (Foods 2022, commercial chia oil, n = 3): palmitic 6.70, stearic 3.45, oleic 6.42, linoleic 19.23, alpha-linolenic 62.16, arachidic 0.29, eicosenoic C20:1n7 0.13 % (mapped to 'gadoleic' although the paper labels it the n-7 isomer). Min/max span two further measured data sets: Materials 2022 (PMC9100186) Table 2: myristic 0.06, palmitic 7.20, stearic 2.88, arachidic 0.55, palmitoleic 0.09, oleic 4.32, linoleic 15.8, gamma-linolenic 0.41, alpha-linolenic 68.6 %; and Lipids in Health and Disease 2016 (PMC5290651) Table 2 (raw seed oil, day 0): palmitic 6.76, stearic 2.78, oleic 8.34, linoleic 12.14, alpha-linolenic 60.56 %. Gamma-linolenic (0.41 % in Materials 2022) is not included under 'linolenic'. Iodine value: Materials 2022 measured 197 g I2/100 g (Table 1, used as 'typical'); Lipids Health Dis 2016 measured 193.42 +/- 1.14; Agricultural Sciences 2014 measured 193.45; the Frontiers 2026 review Table 1 gives 180-220 (used as min/max). Saponification value was NOT measured in any of the PMC papers; the range 197-222.66 spans the Frontiers 2026 review (197, its reference [39]) and the Agricultural Sciences 2014 paper (222.66 mg KOH/g, Soxhlet-hexane oil from Yucatan, Mexico, Table 2). Unsaponifiable matter 0.087 % (Agricultural Sciences 2014) to 1.12 % (review). Other values from Agricultural Sciences 2014 Table 2: acid value 2.053 mg KOH/g, peroxide 17.5 meq O2/kg, refractive index 1.4761 (25 C), relative density 0.9241; Materials 2022 density 0.9285. Caveat: Agricultural Sciences is published by SCIRP; it is a peer-reviewed journal paper by Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan authors but is the least authoritative document used here. Melting point not given (liquid oil). INCI name from CosIng.
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