Soap Noodles Overview Transcript
Soap noodles are produced from the saponificatoin of oil, the neutralisation of fatty acids. In Asia the saponification of fatty methyl esters is important, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, India and China.
The common feedstocks used are palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil. A typical blend would be an 80:20 standard, comprising 80% palm oil and 20% palm kernel oil or coconut oil. While there are other blends available in the market 80:20 is generally recognised by the industry as being the optimum grade. It has a good balance of lather, rate of wear, cleaning ability and hardness.
In Asia prices are usually driven by movements in the feedstock sectors.
The market is very active during the traditional peak summer months but enters a lull in the winter. Spot deals are usually for smaller packages, under 1000 metric tonnes, whereas larger deals are usually concluded on a quarterly contact basis.