Milligrams of a base needed to neutralize 1 gram of a given acid
In
chemistry, acid value (AV, acid number, neutralization number or acidity) is a number used to quantify the
acidity of a given
chemical substance. It is the quantity of
base (usually
potassium hydroxide (KOH)), expressed as
milligrams of KOH required to
neutralize the acidic constituents in 1 gram of a sample.[1][2][3][4] The acid value measures the acidity of water-insoluble substances like oils, fats, waxes and resins, which do not have a
pH value.
The acid number is a measure of the number of
carboxylic acid groups (−C(=O)OH) in a chemical compound, such as a
fatty acid, or in a
mixture of compounds.[2] In other words, it is a measure of
free fatty acids (FFAs) present in a substance. In a typical procedure, a known amount of sample dissolved in an
organic solvent (often
isopropanol) and
titrated with a solution of alcoholic potassium hydroxide (KOH) of known
concentration using
phenolphthalein as a colour indicator.[2] The acid number for an oil sample is indicative of the age of the oil and can be used to determine when the oil must be changed.[5]
A liquid fat sample combined with neutralized 95% ethanol is titrated with standardized sodium hydroxide of 0.1 eq/L
normality to a phenolphthalein endpoint. The volume and normality of the sodium hydroxide are used, along with the weight of the sample, to calculate the free fatty acid value.[3]
Acid value is usually measured as milligrams of KOH per gram of sample (mg KOH/g fat/oil), or grams of KOH per gram of sample (g KOH/g fat/oil).[5]
Veq is the volume of titrant (ml) consumed by 50 ml KHP standard solution at the equivalent point,
204.23 g/mol is the molecular weight of KHP.
Applications
An increment in the amount of FFAs in a
fat or
oil sample indicates hydrolysis of triglycerides. Such reaction occurs by the action of
lipaseenzyme and it is an indicator of inadequate processing and storage conditions. The source of the enzyme can be the tissue from which the oil or fat was extracted or it can be a contaminant from other cells including microorganisms.[1]
For determining the acid value of
mineral oils and
biodiesel, there are standard methods such as
ASTM D 974 and
DIN 51558, and especially for biodiesel the
European Standard EN 14104 and ASTM D664 are both widely used worldwide.[2] Acid value of biodiesel should be lower than 0.50 mg KOH/g in both EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 standard fuels. This is because the FFAs produced can corrode automotive parts, hence these limits protect vehicle engines and fuel tanks.[5]
Low acid value indicates good cleansing by soap.[7]
When oils and fats become
rancid,
triglycerides are converted into
fatty acids and
glycerol, causing an increase in acid value.[8] A similar situation is observed during aging of biodiesel through analogous
oxidation and when subjected to prolonged high temperatures (
esterthermolysis) or through exposure to acids or bases (acid/base ester
hydrolysis).[5]
In 2007, Sahoo et al. made biodiesel consisting of mono-esters of
polanga oil extract of the plant
Calophyllum inophyllum produced by triple stage transesterification and blended with high speed diesel, which was then tested for its use as a diesel substitute in a
single cylinder diesel engine.[11]
Testing
Total acidity, fatty acid profiles, and free fatty acids (FFAs) can be determined for oils such as
sunflower and
soybean oils obtained by green processes involving
supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The identification and separation of the primary fatty acids responsible for acidity can ensure higher quality of fat and oil products.[12]
In 2020,
Dallas Group of America (DGA)[13] and
American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) devised a standard method (5a-40) for testing free fatty acid in cooking oils.[14][15] The DGA FFAs hand-held test kit was produced from the AOCS test method, but without the burets, flasks, and laboratory hardware. Its portable nature is convenient for both small and large frying operations. Testing next to the fryer or in the comfort of a laboratory setting is simple with the DGA FFAs test kit. It gives accurate results for cooking oil used in potato chips, corn dogs, meat browning, bread products, roasted peanuts, and more.[15]