| Acid Value (mg KOH/g): |
Measure of the level of free fatty acids present in an oil. A lower value indicated quality of refinement. |
| Peroxide Value (mEq/Kg): |
Measure of the level of oxidation of the unsaturated bonds found in fats/oils. A high value indicates the oil has been exposed to oxygen and has gone “rancid”. |
| Iodine Value (gI/100g): |
Measure of total amount of unsaturated bonds in an oil. Oils with large amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids will have higher levels than oils with saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. |
| Color (gardner): |
Level of the darkness of an oil. The higher the number the darker the oil. |
| Specific Gravity (g/mL): |
Density of the oil. The density of water is 1. |
| Saponification Value (mg KOH/g): |
Measure of the number of saponifiable bonds present in the oil. Generally referring to the bonds that link fatty acids to glycerol. |
| Unsaponifiable Value (%): |
Material that cannot be saponified or reacted with sodium hydroxide. This includes materials such as cholesterol. |
| Fatty Acid (%): |
Measure of the % volume of a certain fatty acid in a given sample of the oil. In the common nomenclature C18:3; 18 refers to the length of the fatty acid and 3 refers to the number of unsaturated bonds in the fatty acid. Therefore: 0 is considered saturated, 1 is monounsaturated, and 2 or more is considered polyunsaturated. |
