Mutton Tallow (sheep tallow)
Also: Sheep tallow, Ovine tallow, Lamb fat (rendered), Sebo de cordero.
Calculate a 100 % Mutton Tallow (sheep tallow) bar
That is stoichiometry on a measured composition rather than a guess, and it is about as well determined as a published figure: checked against the 35 Codex oils where both fields come from the same standard, the method's median error is 0.90 % and its 90th percentile 2.74 %, with no meaningful bias. The formula page shows the working. If you have a certificate of analysis for your lot, enter its measured value in the calculator and this estimate is set aside.
Published values
| Saponification value | not published |
| Derived from composition | 194.7 ± 3 % mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 194.7 mg KOH/g (derived) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1388 g/g |
| Iodine value | 33.8–43.9 g I₂/100 g (typ. 38.6) |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 156 |
| Melting point | 43.1–51.1 °C |
| Unsaponifiable matter | — |
A bar made of 100 % Mutton Tallow (sheep tallow)
Conventional qualities summed from the fatty-acid groups; a single-oil bar is a reference point, not a recipe.
Fatty-acid profile
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid | C14:0 · saturated | 2.2–2.8 | 2.5 |
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 20.3–24.6 | 22.5 |
| Palmitoleic acid | C16:1 | 0.9–2.5 | 1.7 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 24.3–41.7 | 33.0 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 31.4–44.8 | 38.1 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 1.6–2.4 | 2.0 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | 1–1.2 | 1.1 |
Where these numbers come from
Table I 'Fatty acid composition and physical properties of mutton tallow' (kidney, back, intestinal, composite) and the abstract; full-text PDF opened at .../article/download/252/253 and read with pdftotext. Published 2003.
Source: List, Steidley, Neff & Snowder, 'Physical properties of mutton tallow', Grasas y Aceites 54(2):113-115 (2003), USDA-ARS NCAUR. Table I gives fatty acids (GLC, % of FA), iodine value, trans acids and Mettler dropping point for kidney, back and intestinal fat of a single 170 lb ewe plus an equal-weight composite: kidney 14:0 2.2, 16:0 20.3, 16:1 0.9, 18:0 41.7, 18:1 31.4, 18:2 2.4, 18:3 1.0, IV 33.8, trans 4.5 %, dropping point 51.1 C; back 2.7 / 24.6 / 1.0 / 24.3 / 44.8 / 1.6 / 1.0, IV 43.9, trans 2.7, 43.1 C; intestinal 2.8 / 23.6 / 1.0 / 33.9 / 35.4 / 2.3 / 1.2, IV 37.5, trans 4.1, 48.4 C; composite 2.6 / 22.1 / 2.5 / 32.1 / 37.3 / 2.3 / 1.0, IV 38.6, trans 6.0, 46.3 C. Min/max here span the three depots; 'typical' IV 38.6 and the paper's abstract range (IV 34-44, saturated acids 52-64 %) refer to the composite. meltingPointC is the Mettler dropping point (AOCS Cc 18-86), 43.1-51.1 C across depots (composite 46.3 C). Sample size is one animal, so ranges are depot variation, not population variation; the paper notes Uruguayan mutton tallow runs ~40 % oleic and ~45 % palmitic+stearic (Grompone 1990). No saponification value was measured; Codex CXS 211-1999 'edible tallow' (which covers bovine and/or ovine fat) could not be opened in this session, so sapKohMgPerG is null - consult the generic tallow record built from CXS 211 if a SAP is needed. USDA FoodData Central has no 'Fat, mutton tallow' entry (search returned only beef tallow). INCI not verified (null).
This record is part of the open ingredient database (ODbL). Found an error or a better primary source? The dataset is on GitHub; corrections with a document link are welcome.