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Saponification Value

How to calculate saponification values

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70 views2 pages

Saponification Value

How to calculate saponification values

Uploaded by

bochase666
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BABCOCK UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES


BENJAMIN S. CARSON (SNR.) SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
DEPARTMENT OF BIOCHEMISTRY

312 PRACTICAL (NUTRITION AND FOOD BIOCHEMISTRY)


2ND SEMESTER, 2020/2021 SESSION
VENUE: Biochemistry Laboratory
LECTURER: ADEWOLE O and OGBONNAYA F.C.

DETERMINATION OF SAPONIFICATION VALUE


Saponification is the hydrolysis of fats or oils under basic conditions to afford glycerol and the
salt of the corresponding fatty acid. Saponification literally means "soap making". It is important
to the industrial user to know the amount of free fatty acid present, since this determines in large
measure the refining loss.
The amount of free fatty acid is estimated by determining the quantity of alkali that must be
added to the fat to render it neutral. This is done by warming a known amount of the fat with
strong aqueous caustic soda solution, which converts the free fatty acid into soap. This soap is
then removed and the amount of fat remaining is then determined. The loss is estimated by
subtracting this amount from the amount of fat originally taken for the test.
The saponification number is the number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide required to
neutralize the fatty acids resulting from the complete hydrolysis of 1g of fat. It gives information
concerning the character of the fatty acids of the fat, the longer the carbon chain, the less acid is
liberated per gram of fat hydrolysed. It is also considered as a measure of the average molecular
weight (or chain length) of all the fatty acids present. The long chain fatty acids found in fats have
low saponification value because they have a relatively fewer number of carboxylic functional
groups per unit mass of the fat and therefore high molecular weight.

DETERMINATION OF SAPONIFICATION VALUE OF OIL SAMPLES


Aim: To determine the saponification value of fresh and rancid oil samples.
Materials: Burette, conical flask, hot plate, funnel, oil samples (rancid and fresh oil), retort stand,
0.5M KOH, 0.5M HCL, fat solvent (diethyl ether and ethanol in the ratio 1:1),
phenolphthalein indicator, dropping pipette.
Procedure:
 Place 1ml of each oil sample in different conical flasks.
 Add 3ml of fat solvent and 20ml of KOH to each.
 Boil solution on hot plate for one minute.
1
 Allow to cool, then add 2 drops of phenolphthalein.
 Titrate each against 0.5M HCL and record the titre value for each.
 Repeat procedure for blank test but without addition of any oil sample (i.e. exclude step 1).
 Calculate the saponification value for each oil sample using the following formula:
Saponification value (mg/ml of KOH) = (a–b) ml X Molarity of HCL X Molar mass of
base
Volume of oil sample
Where: a = Titre value of blank
b = Titre value of oil sample
Molarity of HCL = 0.5M
Molar mass of base = 56.1

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