Noun
The act, process, or result, of soap making; conversion into soap; specifically (Chem.), the decomposition of fats and other ethereal salts by alkalies; as, the saponification of ethyl acetate.
Source: Webster's dictionaryA cold-process soapmaker first looks up the saponification value for each unique fat on an oil specification sheet. Source: Internet
During this cure period, trace amounts of residual lye are consumed by saponification and excess water evaporates. Source: Internet
Cold-process soapmaking requires exact measurements of lye and fat amounts and computing their ratio, using saponification charts to ensure the finished product does not contain any excess hydroxide or too much free unreacted fat. Source: Internet
Hot processes Hot-processed soaps are created by encouraging the saponification reaction by adding heat to speed up the reaction. Source: Internet
In the fully boiled process, the mix is actually boiled (100+ °C), and, after saponification has occurred, the “neat soap” is precipitated from the solution by adding common salt, and the excess liquid is drained off. Source: Internet
Most soap makers formulate their recipes with a 2–5% deficit of lye, to account for the unknown deviation of saponification value between their oil batch and laboratory averages. Source: Internet