Things You Should Know About Fatty Acid Suppliers in the Philippines

Introduction

Fatty acids have primarily been associated with the food and health sector. These ingredients have long been used for various applications, such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, paints, and soaps. In fact, 64% of nonfossil oils are directed for food uses, while the remainder is incorporated toward industrial and animal feed uses.

If you need fatty acids for your products, you can contact us at Wills International Sales Corporation. We are a reliable fatty acid supplier in the Philippines that has supplied different companies with quality products at competitive prices.

What Is a Fatty Acid?

Fatty acids are essential components of lipids, which are found in plants, animals, and microorganisms. They consist of straight chains of an even number of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms located along the length of the chain, as well as a carboxyl group at the other end.

Michel-Eugene Chevreul brought significant development into understanding fatty acids in chemistry. Because of this, he became the first chemist to isolate a crystalline material with acidic properties through soap treatment.

The Different Kinds of Fatty Acids in the Philippines

Fatty acids are divided into three categories, namely:

Saturated Fatty Acids

Saturated fatty acids (SFAs) do not have double bonds because of their linear structure. They are originated from animal sources and are typically solid at room temperatures. However, if there are additional functions or unsaturated bonds present in the saturated fatty acid chains, it can chemically react to the oxygen and moisture in ambient air.

The following are common examples of saturated fatty acids:

• Stearic Acid
• Palmitic Acid
• Myristic Acid
• Lauric Acid
• Capric Acid
• Caprylic Acid
• Caproic Acid

Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Unlike their saturated counterpart, unsaturated fatty acids have one or more carbon-carbon double bonds in their carbon chain. Because they are not completely saturated with hydrogen bonds, oils that contain these fatty acids are typically in a liquid state at room temperature but solidify when chilled.

There are two types of unsaturated fatty acids, which are:

• Monounsaturated Fatty Acids – These are fat molecules that have only one carbon-carbon double bond. Examples of monounsaturated fatty acids are olive oil, sunflower and safflower oil, avocados, peanut butter, and most nuts.
• Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids – Unlike monounsaturated fatty acids, these fat molecules are hydrocarbon chains that consist of two or more double bonds. Approximately two to five percent of these fatty acids are present in ruminant milk and meat, while five to twenty percent are in hydrogenated oils.

What Are the Uses of Fatty Acids?

The versatility of fatty acids proves that they have outstanding uses on different products. These include:

Cosmetics and Toiletries

Most of the bland and soothing preparations for personal uses obtain their body and texture from fatty acid chains present in every ingredient list. In preparing cosmetic and toiletry products, the acids must be added directly to the mix and partially or entirely saponified.

If you want to achieve your desired level of oiliness, soapiness, waxiness, or moisture, you have to balance the fatty acids used with the saponified or combined bases. In this way, the ranges of melting points and viscosities from the fatty acids can naturally relate to the body temperatures. This is why creams and lotions soften and spread smoothly on application.

In addition, many of these fatty acids serve as bridges between water and oil solubility. For example, stearic acid in pharmaceutical and edible products is notable for its white color, mild odor, and high stability. Another would be high lauric content fatty acids in toiletries, which are derived from coconut oils to provide lathering qualities for shaving creams and shampoos.

Soaps and Synthetic Detergents

Using fatty acids in soaps and synthetic detergents can help you save on steam, labor costs, and capital investment. Aside from that, their greater flexibility makes them an excellent choice for the composition of raw materials. Creating soaps and synthetic detergents with fatty acids starts with esterification, which takes place wholly and predictably when combined with weak bases.

In fact, there are about 200 out of 700 detergents on the market that are identified as having derivatives of fatty acids, including esters, condensation products with polyhydric alcohols, sulfates, and sulphonates. Furthermore, these fatty acid-based products are being employed in increasing quantities for special-purpose detergent applications.

For soap making, fatty acids serve as the main ingredient due to their significant effect in the formulating process. You need to learn eight fatty acids in making your soaps, and each of them has properties that differ from one another. By doing this, you can learn to formulate a soap recipe with your desired properties, performance, and appearance.

The eight types of fatty acids you can use for soaps are the following:

• Myristic Acid
• Lauric Acid
• Palmitic Acid
• Stearic Acid
• Ricinoleic Acid
• Oleic Acid
• Linoleic Acid
• Linolenic Acid