| saponification | The alkaline hydrolysis of triacylglycerols toform fatty acids in soaps. (09 Oct 1997) |
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| saponification number | The number of milligrams of KOH required to saponify 1 g of fat; an approximate measure of the average molecular weight of a fat, with which it varies inversely. Synonym: Koettstorfer number. (05 Mar 2000) |