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Glite Dictionary
acid value

acid value

7.7
A measure of how much free acid is in fat or oil
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : valor ácido
  • The acid value of the oil was tested to determine its level of freshness and quality.

Examples

  • With a low acid value, the butter indicated that it was still suitable for consumption.

  • To improve the formulation, the scientists measured the acid value of each sample of fat.

  • By contrast, there was no significant difference between these groups in arachidonic acid values (9.4 ± 2.0 vs 8.8 ± 1.8%).

    Academic text (2000)

How Acidic

acid value
  • Specialized
7.7
neutrality
  • Specialized
5.3
alkalinity
  • Specialized
2 6.3

Surface Forms

acid value singular
acid values plural

Morphology

acid + value

The compound combines 'acid' and 'value' in a way that signals a measurable quantity related to acidity, so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer it refers to an acidity level or amount. However, the precise technical meaning (specifically free acid in fats/oils and the measurement units/procedure) is domain-specific and not predictable from the constituents alone, making full understanding unlikely without background knowledge.

Etymology

Acid value comes from a simple test where someone adds a substance that cancels acid to a fat or oil until the free acid is gone, and they measure how much was needed — that measured number is the value. So a higher acid value shows a larger 'amount of free acid' and usually means lower 'quality' of the oil.