A saturated fatty acid which occurs in many animals and vegetable fats and oil is known as stearic acid. The salts and esters of these stearic acids are called as stearates and are very much common in animal fat than that of vegetable fat. Stearic acid is widely used as an ingredient in making candles, plastics, dietary supplements, oil pastels and cosmetics and also for softening rubber. Stearic acid is also used for hardening soaps particularly with that of vegetable oil and is also used in aerosol shaving cream products. Stearic acid along with sugar or corn syrup is used as hardeners in candies. The most basic and important use of this stearic acid is that it is used as lubricants during injection moldings and pressing of ceramic powders. The texture of this particular stearic acid is that of wax and is also very much solid in state.Few side effects of this acid is when it is combined with magnesium it forms magnesium stearate and as this stearic acid is found in many of the food products which are widely and daily consumed are meat, fish, poultry ,eggs, butter, milk products, grains, coca, coconut etc when consumed in large quantities it can cause types of cancer. It also affects brain and nervous system along with respiratory tract thus by damaging them and despite of all this stearic acid is still considered to be mild and safe. Stearic acid has been derived from slaughter houses which animal lovers would really want to care.
Purified stearic acid is very much waxy substance which is odorless and often takes the form of white yellow or yellow flakes and especially when it is heated it becomes clear liquid. Stearic acid is most commonly occurring fatty acids which are found in number of animal fats and vegetable oil which includes beef fat and cocoa butter. Stearic acid highly used in the production of margarine, spreads and baking products.
