PKO hardness

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Lin19687

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Ok so I got PKO (in a cube, not flaked) and CO in a cube the other day from Jedwards.
Now this is the 1st time I have bought PKO since 2005 so it has been a while and I can't remember the consistency of it.

My CO I get from Big lots is white and hard. This CO is about as hard but seems a bit less hard then big Lots.

I THOUGHT PKO was just as hard as CO. Is it not ?

This is a bit harder then the Palm oil and close to as hard as CO but not quiet.

Are PKO Flakes Harder?? I want to say that I had bought PKO cube from Columbus Foods in 2005 and it was HARD !!! and remember thinking I should have listened to everyone and got the flakes.

Can someone tell me what their hardness is for their PKO. Did you get it from Columbus Foods?

p.s. I did look up the melting point of PKO & CO online...PKO 24C/75F and 25C/77F for CO
But then got 35C/95F for palm ?? o_O
 
PKO is usually prety hard; I buy PKO flakes, (easier to work with.) Is the product 100% PKO or a mixture? If you got the 100% PKO from Columbus food, it should be good. I have never had a problem with any of their products.
 
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For me, in my house at this time of year, CO is fairly soft and easy to scoop. As summer advances (it is still Spring in my part of the world), CO gets softer and can become completely liquid in my house. I keep it in jars.

But PKO flakes have never melted at room temp in my house. The 'flakes' look like pastilles such as many waxes are sold as, and have the same consistency. If I run a PKO flakes between my fingers or onto the back of my hand with the other hand, it will melt at my body temp. To me the hardness feels more waxlike than rocklike. But in the original bag without added temp (other than a warm house temp), they do remain solid year round.
 
My PKO cubes are so hard I need to sometimes take a hammer to them. It is harder to break up than CO 92°, and way way harder than CO 76° which is like a hard butter in my house in the winter, and an almost slushy in the summer (we keep our house, and by extension, our basement rather cool all year round)
If yours is not, then I would think there might be something wrong with it.
 
@jcandleattic That is what I remember, kinda.
https://bulknaturaloils.com/palm-kernel-oil-rbd.html
Date of manufacture is April 2017. I wonder if maybe it melted and got hard again if that makes any difference.

It is more consistent with CO 76 degree

My house is warm, but not hot enough to melt anything, certainly is not softening up the CO.

Still hard to beat the price. maybe I should not complain and be thankful it is easy to use ;)
 
During winter time I need a darn jack hammer to my pko out of the bucket :) In summer it is easier but still harder than CO and I don't think it has ever become soft even in 100º softer yes but that is all. The stuff is like a rock
 
My PKO is always rock hard, even in the heat of a Florida summer. CO is generally liquid here most of the year. Palm is generally a Crisco/soft butter consistency for me in the Florida heat/humidity. Conversely, I usually have to stick the jar of PKO in the microwave for a couple of minutes to soften it up enough to scoop/chisel out of the container.
 
Well, After all sorts of googling, searching and such I see there is a Difference between PKO and PKOF (palm kernel oil Flakes).

I wonder if CF just sells the harder PKOF in a solid form.
There is a PKO solid that is more with the consistency of CO 76 degree.

it wasn't until I looked at SoapCalc that I noticed the Stearic and oliec & Harness/Conditioning difference.

I have only done 2 trials with it so I have to wait and see how I like it. Both have 25% PKO
 
There is a PKO solid that is more with the consistency of CO 76 degree.
I've never seen PKO this soft, in any form.

I knew the flakes and solid form and different sap values (per soap calcs) but it is a negligible difference (usually within a point or two) so I never bothered with differentiating the two. And when my flakes have melted and resolidified, they are just as hard as if they were never in flake form.
This issue you are having really has me curious about if the oil you have has been mislabelled somehow.
 
I have found all sorts of postings (here and elsewhere) that people have said there was a difference.
Even on Soapcalc the Hardness listed for PKO is 75 (79, co) and PKOF is 90

"Palm kernel flakes = hydrogenated palm kernel oil." https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/palm-kernel-flakes-vs-palm-kernel-oil.48823/

I am guessing this may be why ?
I had some other postings from here and somewhere else but can't find it now.
 
Found one that I was reading on Dish
"
PKO flakes are definitely 100% hydrogenated, whether mentioned in the description or not. Provided you see flakes, it's hydrogenated.

The hydrogenation process takes the oil from coconut/palm oil in texture (slushy in warmer summer temps) to brittle in texture (brittle in winter & summer).

Soaper's Choice uses 178 (NaOH) for both PKO and PKO flakes. Soap Calc.net uses 176.

The fatty acid profiles of the oils change through hydrogenation but the SAP value remains the same."

From Lilli
 
Yes, I know the flakes are hydrogenated. I'm just going by my experience of buying PKO from several different sources several times a year in both flake form and solid form. That's why your experience had me wondering.
 
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