On SoapCalc, what to select for sunflower oil that is 61.111% monounsaturated?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

akseattle

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2023
Messages
448
Reaction score
733
Location
Seattle, Washington
Question: On SoapCalc, what to select for sunflower oil that is 61.111% monounsaturated?

This is mid-range oleic (according to @DeeAnna on Classic Bells.)

I bought some of this today, but now not sure what to choose on SoapCalc, low oleic or high oleic?

Should I regret this purchase?

Help!!
 
Yep, I agree with Dibbles -- the saponification value is essentially the same for low, mid, and high oleic sunflower.

It's the fatty acid profile that will be different between these types. If it was me, I'd choose the high oleic version when setting up the recipe. The fatty acid profile for mid-oleic will be closer to high-oleic than it is to low-oleic.
 
@dibbles and @DeeAnna , thank you! And DeeAnna sort of read my mind. I saw that NaOH was the same. I was thinking of the fatty acid profile.
When I bought this oil, it says in BIG letters High Oleic Sunflower Oil . It was a great price. When I got it home and looked at the tiny print and did the math, it wasn't high!!! I'm such a sucker 😞 when will I learn? Well, sounds like this is good enough. Next time, I'll be more wary....
 
I haven't looked deeply into this, but I don't think there are US standards that legally define what are low-, mid-, and high-oleic oils. I agree your sunflower at 61% oleic lands in the mid-oleic range based on the info I've found.

But mid-oleic (according to my understanding) ranges anywhere from roughly 50% to 65% oleic. That means your sunflower is on the high side of the mid-oleic definition and pretty darn close to the 70% oleic lower end of the high-oleic range. That's nothing to sneeze at!

Your sunflower is still very suitable for soap making (or cooking). It's going to perform better in soap than conventional high-linoleic sunflower at a mere 20% oleic acid content.

I don't see that you should feel like a sucker.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top