SAP Value for FOs/EOs

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TheGecko

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This has been in the back of my mind for awhile, but it finally came to the front the other day when I was watching a video and the person added an entire pint jar of FO to their batter. Now it was a large batch of soap and the person is a responsible soap maker so I have no doubt that the amount was appropriate, it was just the visual of such a large amount of liquid (I've only started making five pound batches) being added and how we don't [seemingly] account for it other than the total batch weight so it fits in our mold.

I generally use FOs at a rate of 1 oz per pound of oil.*** And after running my recipe through a Soap Calculator to make sure I am using the proper amount of Sodium Hydroxide and carefully weighing my Lye Solution and Oils, Butters, etc, I then turn around and basically just dump in an extra ounce of liquid without a second thought (other than discoloration, acceleration, ricing).

So how do we account for this extra liquid or is it just something that we are forced to ignore because there is no way to truly account for it?



*** - Even though I think the IFRA is a bit of a racket, I still check 'usage rates' because at the end of the day I am a responsible person and don't want to make an unsafe product.
 
Interesting question. I always assumed that the FO/EO ingredients were non-saponifiable, i.e., they don't affect the lye calculation. I've heard that's true for most EOs, and that others have only minimal saponifiable constituents at best. In other words, they aren't really "oils" in that sense.

But as an additional liquid, they certainly do affect the viscosity of the batter by thinning it out when they are stirred in... unless of course they are accelerators, in which case, the opposite occurs.

Tricky question, @TheGecko !
 
Looking at how EOs and FOs are made, there are some regular carrier oils and natural stuff, but in FOs, there are also synthetic elements and of course, most of this stuff is 'proprietary' so there is no way to know exactly what is in what.

I'm getting ready to do a new Master Batch of Oils/Butters and Lye Solution so am thinking of making a couple of small changes...increase my Lye Concentration from 33% to 35% and reducing my SuperFat from 5% to 4% and seeing if there is a difference between scented and unscented soap.
 
Looking at how EOs and FOs are made, there are some regular carrier oils and natural stuff, but in FOs, there are also synthetic elements and of course, most of this stuff is 'proprietary' so there is no way to know exactly what is in what.

I'm getting ready to do a new Master Batch of Oils/Butters and Lye Solution so am thinking of making a couple of small changes...increase my Lye Concentration from 33% to 35% and reducing my SuperFat from 5% to 4% and seeing if there is a difference between scented and unscented soap.
Sounds like a great experiment. I love using the higher lye concentration myself - the loaves firm up/unmold faster, and don't lose as much weight during cure. I'm down to 3% SF and don't notice a difference in how the soap feels on skin, but there is a significant drop in soap scum. I'll be interested to hear how this all works out with your recipe!
 

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