Manufacture of soaps from distilled fatty acids of palm oil (PO) and palm kernel oil (PK) is a well‐established technology in Malaysia. Data on quality and characteristics of various blends of PO/PK fatty acid‐based (palm‐based) soaps made in Malaysia are not available, however. In view of this, the study described in this paper was undertaken. Eleven blends of palm‐based bar soaps were made, and their properties were evaluated. There was an increase in the acid value of blended raw materials with increasing amounts of PK fatty acids. The iodine value and titer (°C) of blended raw materials, however, bear an inverse relationship with the amount of PK fatty acids. As expected, the hardness of the soap bars from the various blends increased with increasing PK fatty acid. Total fatty matter ranged from 76–85%, free caustic content was 0.1%, and sodium chloride content was 0.3–0.4%. Characteristics of soap blends made for this study were comparable with those from other countries. Quality of the soap obtained was comparable to those produced commercially.

Soaps made from blends of distilled palm stearin (PS) and palm (PK) kernel fatty acids were evaluated for total fatty matter, sodium chloride content, moisture content, hardness, Hunter whiteness, foamability, iodine value, titer value, and acid value. Data showed that these soaps had properties similar to palm-based soaps made from distilled palm oil and palm kernel fatty acids. The soaps showed good whiteness (greater than 80%) and foamability. Total fatty matter ranged from 10-18%, sodium chloride content was 0.5%, and free caustic was 0.1% except for blend 8 containing 10 PS:90 PK, which had a free caustic of 0.03%. Initial penetration value, a reflection of soap hardness, ranged from 32-126 mm, with an average value of 54 mm. This value is within the range of the best blends of palm-based soaps (50-63 mm). There was no obvious trend observed. Penetration value, however was found to stabilize after a month of storage with an average value of 19.4 mm. Soap with this hardness value is relatively hard and therefore should be blended with a small amount of soft oils. JSD 1, 329-334 (1998).

Palm stearin (POs) is one of the cheapest sources of C16-C18 fatty acids for use in soap making. Toilet-soap formulations containing a high content of POs, however, would result in hard soaps with a tendency to form cracks on the surface. This phenomenon can be overcome by addition of superfatting agents to increase plasticity of the finished product. In this study, two different blends of soap made from distilled POs, palm oil (PO), and palm kernel oil (PKO) fatty acids in the ratio of 40POs/40PO/20PKO and 70POs/30PKO were evaluated. The soaps were superfatted with glycerin, palm kernel olein, coconut oil, olive oil and canola oil. The levels of incorporation of each superfatting material were 1, 2, 4, and 6%, respectively. The samples were subsequently tested for both wet and dry crackings using the Hewitt Soap Company methods (numbers 78 and 79, respectively). The superfatted soaps had a total fatty matter of 73-83% and an average moisture content of 10%. The penetration value which indicates hardness increased with increasing amount of superfatting agents. Foaming or lathering property was good with the exception of the formulation using palm kernel olein and canola oil as superfatting agents. At all the above levels of superfatting agents added, no cracks were observed during both wet and dry cracking tests. A sample of soap superfatted with 2% canola oil, however, developed cracks during the wet cracking test. This resulted in a test score of 7. Superfatting soaps with 1-2% neutral oils or glycerin resulted in better quality soaps that were free of cracks.Palm oil (PO) is a semisolid oil from the mesocarp of the palm fruit, Elaeis guineensis. Palm stearin (POs) is the solid fraction of PO and is one of the cheapest sources of C16-C18 fatty acids used in soap making. However, POs has some limitations when high proportions are incorporated into a toilet soap formulation. Hard (1) soaps are produced which tend to crack under dry and wet conditions.Hardness and cracking phenomena are the two important properties of solid soaps. Both these properties are often interrelated. The hardness of soap depends on the iodine value of oils or fats, which is an indication of the degree of saturation or unsaturation. Low iodine value indicates that oils or fats have high saturation, and the soaps produced are generally hard. Presence of unsaturation in the fat reduces hardness soap. POs has low iodine value, and this is one reason for soap hardness.Cracking can be due to a number of factors such as bar design, degree of distortion of the blank during stamping, composition and level of fragrance and other additives, and the efficiency of soap line finishing (2). There are two types of crackings-namely dry and wet. Dry cracks are due to fissure formation caused by air entrained in the soap during final extrusion (2). This is due to poor vacuum or inefficient plodding. Wet cracks develop in soap bars during in-wash usage and normally give rise to ugly lines on the soap bar, a problem that needs to be addressed to ensure that a...

Four commercial soap fragrances 1, 2, 3, and 4 were inco~ porated in palm-based white soaps and made into bars. The soap bars were stored at 25°C and 40°C for three months. The headspace gas~chromatographic volatiles, fragrance odor intensity and whiteness analyses of the soap samples were carded out at 10

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