The purpose of this project is to develop a microencapsulation technique to be used in cold process soap making to prevent seizing of the soap. It was found that seizing in soap is caused by an increased rate of reaction due to the introduction of scent oil, such as clove oil, which reacts rapidly with sodium hydroxide. Using physical microencapsulation, a microcapsule consisting of eugenol, carnauba wax, deionized water, and a small amount of 12 ppt NaOH solution can be used to protect the scent oil from reacting with the 333 ppt sodium hydroxide used during the soap making process. It was found that the use of the developed microencapsulation technique shows promising results in protecting the scent oil, eugenol, from the 333 ppt sodium hydroxide solution. Also included in this research investigation is a few quality assurance issues including saponification value determination and residual total alkali determination for the specific soaps produced from this seizing project.
