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Reichert value

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The Reichert value (or more fully, the Reichert-Meissl-Wollny value or Reichert-Meissl-Wollny number) is a value determined when examining fat. The Reichert-Meissl number indicates how much volatile fatty acid can be extracted from fat through saponification. It consists of the number of mililiters of 0.1 normal sodium hydroxide necessary for the neutralization of the volatile fatty acids distilled from 5 grams of a given fat. This number is usually below 1.

This number is a useful indicator of non-fat compounds in edible fats, and is especially high in butter.

The value is named for the chemists who developed it, Emil Reichert and Emmerich Meissl.