Is Sodium oleate vegetarian and/or vegan?

Question

I am wondering if Sodium Oleate is vegetarian and/or vegan.

I found this article which might be about it, and I followed the links to this article, which says that Stearic acid is obtained from fats and oils by the saponification of the triglycerides using hot water. So based on this might it be derived from animal sources? My chemistry knowledge is rather poor so I am kind of lost.

Also, according to this website, Oleic acid can be derived from animal or non-animal sources. But is Sodium oleate the same as Oleic acid?

Answer 1

Sodium oleate is a salt of oleic acid (in chemistry terms, a salt is a substance formed when a metal (or other cation) replaces the hydrogen in an acid).

Therefore, you cannot know without further information whether sodium oleate is veg*n or not, since oleic acid may be derived from animal fats.

Check the labelling of the product to see whether it is suitable for veg*ns. Oleic acid is found in olive oil and the ingredients may say that the oleate was derived from olive oil, which would be a vegan source.