DOS on 2 bars?

[MommaSoaper]

Hi all! Quick question here. I made a batch of goats milk soap. The loaves looked fine aside from heavy soda ash. They’ve been curing for a few weeks now. Two of the bars have what looks to be DOS. Very strange only on the bottoms of the soap. None of the other bars seem to be affected. is it possible that it’s not DOS?

I should also note that they were curing on a wood rack. I had gotten busy over the last few weeks with family in town and did not turn them like I usually do. It’s been raining for the last week and the window to the soap room is always slightly open. I’m curious if the humidity affected the bars or if it was the fact that they weren’t turned. It’s odd though that the DOS is only on the bottoms of two bars. Also, to note my palm shortening is a little over the use by date. It’s been sitting in a relatively cooler room in the house and does not have any discoloration or smell to it at all. Could be the culprit despite that?None of the other loaves made with the palm shortening have issues so I was kind of ruling that out.

This was a practice batch so I’m not overly concerned but definitely want to figure out what caused it. Lots of factors, lol.

 

[AliOop]

Sorry, but that looks exactly like DOS to me. I doubt it is the palm oil - that stuff is super shelf-stable for years if stored well.

My best guess would be that your DOS came from curing directly on wood. That is not recommended, as the wood can have substances in or on it that encourage rancidity. The extra humidity from the open window and rainy weather would have encouraged DOS, too. It can be strange how only some bars get it, but perhaps those bars were the only ones in contact with the part of the wood that was leaching something into the soap. Also, you will want to watch the remainder of the batch pretty closely to see if they develop DOS over time, as well.

 

[MommaSoaper]

Sorry, but that looks exactly like DOS to me. I doubt it is the palm oil - that stuff is super shelf-stable for years if stored well.

My best guess would be that your DOS came from curing directly on wood. That is not recommended, as the wood can have substances in or on it that encourage rancidity. The extra humidity from the open window and rainy weather would have encouraged DOS, too. It can be strange how only some bars get it, but perhaps those bars were the only ones in contact with the part of the wood that was leaching something into the soap. Also, you will want to watch the remainder of the batch pretty closely to see if they develop DOS over time, as well.

Thank you so much for your reply. I’m curious, husband got me enclosed drying/bakers racks for my studio. Do you think they will be ok for curing soaps? I’m worried now that there won’t be enough air circulation. Wonder if I can use fans to promote air circulation…

 

[DeeAnna]

It's less about having lots of air circulation and more the idea of not letting soap sit directly on wood or metal. If you want to use wood racks, that's fine, but line them with something that's not as likely to contribute impurities that can trigger rancidity. Some possibilities -- thick clean terrycloth or tee shirt material or that stiff plastic "canvas" used for counted cross stitch. Don't count on a wood finish (varnish) or waxed paper or parchment paper.