Question

What is the significance of saponification reaction in the formulation of food products containing alkali and oil such as in fresh noodles?

Answer 1

Cooking oils are mixtures of saturated and (poly)unsaturarted fatty acids (hydrocarbon chains with a carboxylic group at one end).
These are extracted from plants as triglycerides that are formed through a condensation reaction onto a glycerol "backbone".



The triglycerides are cleaved apart through saponification, which is the use of a strong base (e.g. NaOH) to cleave the ester bond.