The most crucial components of soap are C12-C18 fatty acids which contribute to detergency, cleansing power and foamability of the final product. Palm oil kernel oil are the major sources for C16-C18 and C12-C14 fatty acids respectively. A combination of palm oil and palm kernel oil in appropriate proportions is necessary to produce a good quality soap. The use of palm oil (PO) and palm kernel oil (PK) in Malaysian soap formulations is well established. Palm stearin (POs), being the cheapest fraction of pal oil, has gained popularity as a raw material in the making of both body and laundry soaps. Due to its nature, palm stearin cannot be used, by itself, to make good body soap because it has a high titre and the soap produced arevery hard with poor solubility.

Main Research: Ainie Kuntom