Karanja Oil
INCI Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil. Also: Pongamia pinnata seed oil, Millettia pinnata seed oil, Pongamia oil, Pongam oil, Honge oil.
Published values
| Saponification value | 185–195 mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 190.0 mg KOH/g (midpoint) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1354 g/g |
| Iodine value | 80–90 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 105 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | — |
Soapmaking books print about 0.129 g NaOH per g (median of 2 books). One book prints 0.130 g NaOH per g for karanja oil. India's standard for the oil sets 185-195 mg KOH/g and modern measured oils came in at 180-188; two 1903 analyses at 178 and 183 were of oils carrying 7-9 % unsaponifiable matter, well over the standard's 3 %. We use the standard's middle, 190 (0.135).
A bar made of 100 % Karanja 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 | 64.3 g(62.6–66.0) | 90.3 g(87.9–92.6) |
| 1 kg | 128.7 g(125.3–132.1) | 180.5 g(175.8–185.3) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 58.4 g(56.8–59.9) | 81.9 g(79.7–84.0) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 116.7 g(113.7–119.8) | 163.7 g(159.4–168.1) |
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 18 : 82
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 7.82–15.49 | 11.7 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 0.42–10.61 | 5.5 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 34.34–74.58 | 54.5 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 10.07–31.28 | 20.7 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | 0.16–7.27 | 3.7 |
Where these numbers come from
Table 4 fatty-acid composition ranges across 38 accessions; oil content range; statement that SN/IV were calculated from FAME composition (not used here).
Public.Resource.Org copy on the Internet Archive (linked from law.resource.org). Oil from seeds of Pongamia pinnata syn. P. glabra. Table 1: saponification value 185 to 195; iodine value (Wijs) 80 to 90; acid value max. 20; unsaponifiable matter max. 3.0 %; refractive index at 40 C 1.4734 to 1.4790; specific gravity at 30/30 C 0.925 to 0.940; titre min. 31 C; moisture and insolubles max. 0.25 %. Foreword: used mainly in tanning and "to a certain extent for making soaps".
Measured saponification values 187.8, 188.0 and 180.0; iodine 89.6, 86.0, 85.0; #10164 profile palmitic 8.9, stearic 8.1, oleic 52.3, linoleic 21.8, arachidic 3.0, behenic 3.1, lignoceric 2.8 %.
Fatty-acid ranges are from the open-access germplasm study (Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants 2016), Table 4: 38 Indian Pongamia pinnata accessions analysed by GC, min-max across accessions (palmitic 7.82-15.49, stearic 0.42-10.61, oleic 34.34-74.58, linoleic 10.07-31.28, linolenic 0.16-7.27 %); seed oil content 20.20-40.28 %. The abstract notes oleic acid as the major acid and that 'a substantial amount of erucic acid was also detected', but no erucic, arachidic, eicosenoic, behenic or lignoceric ranges were printed, so those keys are omitted. The same paper prints saponification number 186.99-201.25 and iodine value 81.13-108.19, but for the fatty-acid METHYL ESTERS and explicitly 'calculated using FAMEs composition of oil', not measured on the oil, so neither is used. Karanja oil is non-edible (contains karanjin and pongamol) and is used in soap mainly for its insecticidal/antiseptic reputation. Melting point not given (liquid oil). INCI name from CosIng. INCI: CosIng files this under the synonym Pongamia glabra rather than Pongamia pinnata, the name the source uses. SAPONIFICATION VALUE from IS 3492:1965 (Karanja oil, reaffirmed 1998): 185-195 mg KOH/g, with iodine value 80-90 and unsaponifiable matter max. 3.0 %. Three measured oils in PlantFAdb agree: 187.8 (1998), 188.0 (1994) and 180.0 (1984). The 1998 oil's profile includes arachidic 3.0, behenic 3.1 and lignoceric 2.8 %, which the germplasm study behind this record's profile did not print; with them the composition gives 188.5, against 192.5 without. This replaces the derived value. The iodine value is the same standard's 80-90 (Wijs).
This record is part of the open ingredient database (ODbL), which you can download as CSV or JSON. Found an error or a better primary source? Corrections with a link to the document are welcome at support@soapformulator.com.