Edible Tallow (beef/mutton dripping)
INCI Tallow. Saponified with NaOH it is listed as Sodium Tallowate, with KOH as Potassium Tallowate. CAS 61789-97-7, 129521-65-9; EC 263-099-1, as CosIng gives them. Also: Beef tallow, Dripping, Sevum bovinum, Mutton tallow.
Published values
| Saponification value | 190–202 mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 196.0 mg KOH/g (midpoint) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1397 g/g |
| Iodine value | 40–53 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 150 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | ≤ 1.2 % |
Soapmaking books print about 0.141 g NaOH per g (median of 11 books), which agrees with ours to within 2 %.
A bar made of 100 % Edible Tallow
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 | 66.4 g(64.3–68.4) | 93.1 g(90.3–96.0) |
| 1 kg | 132.7 g(128.7–136.8) | 186.2 g(180.5–191.9) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 60.2 g(58.4–62.1) | 84.5 g(81.9–87.0) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 120.4 g(116.7–124.1) | 168.9 g(163.7–174.1) |
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 53 : 47
| Fatty acid | Published range, % | Used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid | C14:0 · saturated | 2–6 | 4.0 |
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 20–30 | 25.0 |
| Palmitoleic acid | C16:1 | 1–5 | 3.0 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 15–30 | 22.5 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 30–45 | 37.5 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 1–6 | 3.5 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | ≤ 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Arachidic acid | C20:0 · saturated | ≤ 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Gadoleic acid | C20:1 | ≤ 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Behenic acid | C22:0 · saturated | ≤ 0.1 | 0.1 |
Recipes that use it
- Unna-style superfatted tallow bar 89 % of the oils
- Kitchen tallow bar 75 % of the oils
- Creamy tallow and olive bar 50 % of the oils
- Tallow and coconut laundry bar 50 % of the oils
- Transparent glycerin bar 50 % of the oils
- Long-lasting bar 45 % of the oils
- Firm scrubbing bar 40 % of the oils
- Charcoal and tea tree facial bar 35 % of the oils
- Goat milk powder bar 35 % of the oils
- Lemongrass and cedar camp soap 35 % of the oils
- Rose clay and rose petal bar 30 % of the oils
- Three-layer clay bar 30 % of the oils
Guides that discuss it
- Antioxidants and chelators: keeping soap from going off
- Dreaded orange spots (DOS) and rancid soap
- Lard and tallow: soaping with animal fats
- Palm-free soap: what takes palm oil's place
- The soaping oils: what each one brings to a bar
- Transparent soap by the solvent method
Compared with other oils
Where these numbers come from
Section 3 GLC fatty-acid ranges (% of total FA) are mandatory; the Appendix table 'Chemical and physical characteristics' (relative density, refractive index, titre, saponification value, iodine value (Wijs), unsaponifiable matter) is ADVISORY. Later editorial amendments (2019+) not checked - FAO site Cloudflare-gated.
JP XVIII 'Beef Tallow' (Sevum Bovinum): melting point 42-50 C; acid value NMT 2.0; saponification value 193-200; iodine value 33-50.
Fatty acids from CXS 211 Section 3 GLC ranges, column 'Premier jus / Tallow' (% of total FA; mandatory). Also printed there and omitted here (outside key list): C6:0-C12:0 < 0.5 in total, C14:ISO < 0.3, C14:1 0.5-1.5, C15:0 0.2-1.0, C15:ISO + C15:ANTI ISO < 1.5 in total, C16:ISO < 0.5, C16:2 < 1.0, C17:0 0.5-2.0, C17:1 < 1.0, C17:ISO + C17:ANTI ISO < 1.5 in total, C20:2 < 0.1, C20:4 < 0.5, C22:1 not detected. '< x' limits are given as max only. SAP 190-202 mg KOH/g, IV (Wijs) 40-53, unsaponifiable <= 12 g/kg, titre 40-49 C, relative density 0.894-0.904 from the ADVISORY Appendix table (tallow column). Definition (2.4): rendered from fatty tissues, muscles and bones of bovine animals and/or sheep. JP XVIII 'Beef Tallow': melting point 42-50 C, SAP 193-200, IV 33-50, acid value NMT 2.0.
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