I believe that saponification is the process in which triglycerides react with a strong, inorganic base such as sodium hydroxide to produce carboxylate salt and glycerol. The process is the making of soap by reacting triglycerides with a strong base to form glycerol and soap. Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of long chain fatty acids. When triglycerides in fat/oil react with aqueous NaOH or KOH, they are converted into soap and glycerol.