Lauric acid, systematically dodecanoic acid, is a saturated fatty acid with a 12-carbon atom chain, thus having many properties of medium-chain fatty acids. Otherwise, it is relatively uncommon. It is also found in human breast milk (6.2% of total fat), cow's milk (2.9%), and goat's milk (3.1%).

  • Citrullus lanatus (egusi melon)
  • Pumpkin flower 205 ppm, pumpkin seed 472 ppm

Insect

  • Black soldier fly Hermetia illucens 30–50 mg/100 mg fat.

Uses

Like many other fatty acids, lauric acid is inexpensive, has a long shelf-life, is nontoxic, and is safe to handle. It is used mainly for the production of soaps and cosmetics. For these purposes, lauric acid is reacted with sodium hydroxide to give sodium laurate, which is a soap. Most commonly, sodium laurate is obtained by saponification of various oils, such as coconut oil. These precursors give mixtures of sodium laurate and other soaps. It transesterifies with vinyl acetate. Treatment with sulfur trioxide gives the α-sulfonic acid.

As a dietary fat and cardiovascular risk factor

Lauric acid increases total serum lipoproteins more than many other fatty acids, including LDL and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), making it a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Lauric acid has been characterized as having "a more favorable effect on total HDL than any other fatty acid [examined], either saturated or unsaturated", which may favor a lower cardiovascular disease risk. However, given the prominence of lauric acid in palm kernel and coconut oil (about 47% of total fat), replacing dietary coconut oil and its high lauric acid content with oils containing mostly unsaturated fats would alter total blood lipids in a way that reduces cardiovascular disease risk.

References

Further reading

  • Berner, Louise A. (1993). Defining the Role of Milkfat in Balanced Diets. In John E. Kinsella (Ed.) Advances in Food and Nutrition Research – Volume 37. Academic Press. pp. 159–166. .
  • Lauric acid MS Spectrum