Wheat Germ Oil
INCI Triticum Aestivum Germ Oil. CAS 84012-44-2; EC 281-689-7, as CosIng gives them. Also: Wheatgerm oil, Triticum aestivum germ oil, Triticum vulgare germ oil.
Published values
| Saponification value | 180–200 mg KOH/g |
| Used by the calculator | 190.0 mg KOH/g (midpoint) |
| SAP for NaOH | 0.1354 g/g |
| Iodine value | 115.47 g I₂/100 g |
| INS (SAP − IV) | 75 |
| Melting point | — |
| Unsaponifiable matter | 4.69 % |
Soapmaking books print about 0.132 g NaOH per g (median of 7 books). Books print 0.131-0.135 g NaOH per g for wheat germ oil. Japan's standard for the oil as a cosmetic ingredient sets 180-200 mg KOH/g and we use its middle, 190 (0.135). Wheat germ oil carries 4-6 % unsaponifiable matter, mostly vitamin E and sterols, which puts a typical oil nearer 185-190, where the books and two early analyses sit, so our figure may be a little high.
A bar made of 100 % Wheat Germ 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(61.0–67.7) | 90.3 g(85.5–95.0) |
| 1 kg | 128.7 g(121.9–135.4) | 180.5 g(171.0–190.0) |
| 1 lb (454 g) | 58.4 g(55.3–61.4) | 81.9 g(77.6–86.2) |
| 2 lb (907 g) | 116.7 g(110.6–122.9) | 163.7 g(155.1–172.4) |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic acid | C14:0 · saturated | 0.13 | 0.1 |
| Palmitic acid | C16:0 · saturated | 16.73–17.42 | 17.1 |
| Palmitoleic acid | C16:1 | 0.18–0.23 | 0.2 |
| Stearic acid | C18:0 · saturated | 0.54–0.56 | 0.6 |
| Oleic acid | C18:1 | 13.38–16.14 | 14.8 |
| Linoleic acid | C18:2 | 55.05–59.55 | 57.3 |
| α-Linolenic acid | C18:3 n-3 | 6.64–7.95 | 7.3 |
| Gadoleic acid | C20:1 | 1.36–1.38 | 1.4 |
| Erucic acid | C22:1 | 0.23–0.25 | 0.2 |
Where these numbers come from
Full-text PDF. Table 2 = physico-chemical characteristics of wheat germ oil (SAP 191.22, IV 115.47, unsaponifiable 4.69 %); Table 3 = fatty-acid composition.
Table 2 fatty-acid composition (%) of WGO by three extraction methods; AV and PV of crude oil.
The source of the saponification value. Fatty oil from the germ of Triticum aestivum L.: acid value 10 max (method 1, 5 g); saponification value 180-200; iodine value 115-140; unsaponifiable matter 6 % max. Read from the page image.
Corroboration. Solvent-extracted wheat germ oil: De Negri (Chem. Zeit. 1898) saponification equivalent 306, acidity 5.65 %, iodine 115.17; Frankforter and Harding (J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 1899) 297, acidity 20 %, iodine 115.64. The book's footnote says the equivalents were calculated from saponification values, i.e. 183.3 and 188.9 mg KOH/g.
Primary source (Mahmoud, Mohdaly & Elneairy 2015, Food and Nutrition Sciences 6:265-277; hexane-extracted oil from Triticum aestivum germ bought from Middle Egypt Flour Mills, Fayoum, Egypt; triplicate). Table 2 physico-chemical characteristics: refractive index 1.4728 (25 C), specific gravity 0.9257, acid value 13.88 mg/g, acidity 8.33 % oleic, saponification value 191.22 +/- 0.15 mg/g, ester value 177.34, iodine value 115.47 +/- 0.22 g I2/100 g, peroxide value 16.35 meq O2/kg, unsaponifiable matter 4.69 +/- 0.33 %. Table 3 fatty acids (%): myristic 0.13, pentadecanoic 0.16, palmitic 17.42, palmitoleic 0.23, elaidic (C18:1 trans) 0.85, cis-oleic 16.14, trans-linoleic 0.71, cis-linoleic 55.05, alpha-linolenic 7.95, heneicosylic (C21:0) 1.36; total saturated 19.07, MUFA 17.22, PUFA 63.71 (no stearic acid row is printed). Fatty-acid ranges above merge these with the additional source Li et al. 2016 (Molecules 21:1675; germ from Handan, Hebei, China; Table 2, three extraction methods SBE/SCE/SE): C15:1 0.19-0.20, palmitic 16.73-16.90, palmitoleic 0.18-0.19, stearic 0.54-0.56, oleic 13.38-13.56, linoleic 59.46-59.55, linolenic 6.64-6.85, C20:1 1.36-1.38, C22:1 0.23-0.25, C24:1 0.21-0.24 % (acid value 8.97 mg KOH/g and PV 4.69 meq/kg for crude SBE oil; no SAP/IV/unsaponifiable). Hence stearic, gadoleic and erucic rest on Li et al. alone and myristic on Mahmoud et al. alone; trans isomers, C15, C21:0 and nervonic (C24:1) are not schema keys. SAPONIFICATION VALUE is the band in Japan's Standards of Quasi-drug Ingredients 2021 (MHLW), 'Wheat Germ Oil': 180-200 mg KOH/g, with iodine value 115-140, unsaponifiable matter 6 % max and acid value 10 max; the calculator uses its middle, 190. Until 2026-09-26 the record used Mahmoud et al.'s single figure, 191.22. The fatty acids give about 194 as pure triglyceride, and wheat germ oil's 4-6 % unsaponifiable matter (tocopherols and sterols) brings a typical oil to about 185-190, where two early analyses of solvent-extracted oil sit (De Negri 1898, 183.3; Frankforter and Harding 1899, 188.9; both quoted in the 1908 Handbook of Soap Manufacture), so the calculator's 190 may run 1-3 % high for this oil. The iodine value is a single-laboratory 'typical' value (one Egyptian sample), not a specification range, and sits inside the standard's band; the Ph. Eur. wheat-germ oil monograph could not be opened. Melting point: not reported. INCI name from CosIng. INCI: CosIng also carries "Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil", the older synonym, which is still common on labels.
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.