The key difference between lauric acid and caprylic acid is that caprylic acid is about six times more ketogenic than lauric acid.
Lauric acid is a saturated fatty acid having a 12-carbon atom chain and the chemical formula of C12H24O2. Caprylic acid is a saturated fatty acid having an 8-carbon atom chain and the chemical formula of C8H16O2. We can compare lauric acid and caprylic acid in terms of ketogenic ability, which is the promotion of the formation of ketones by fatty acids.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Lauric Acid
3. What is Caprylic Acid
4. Lauric Acid vs Caprylic Acid in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Lauric Acid vs Caprylic Acid
What is Lauric Acid?
Lauric acid is a saturated fatty acid having a 12-carbon atom chain. Its chemical formula is C12H24O2. It has many properties of medium-chain fatty acids. Lauric acid occurs as a white, powdery solid substance with a faint odor of bay oil or soap. Moreover, we call the salts and esters of lauric acid as laurates.
Figure 01: The Chemical Structure of Lauric Acid
Lauric acid is a component of triglycerides that comprises around half of the fatty acid composition of coconut milk, coconut oil, laurel oil, and palm kernel oil. However, it is relatively an uncommon compound. Furthermore, it can be found in human breast milk (as 6.2% of its total fat) as well as in cow’s milk and goat’s milk.
In addition, we can find lauric acid in various plants, including palm trees, cohune palm, palm species that are native to the Amazon, coconut oil, wild nutmeg, peach palm, date palm, plum, pumpkin flower, etc.
Generally, lauric acid is inexpensive. It has a long shelf-life, and it is nontoxic as well. Therefore, lauric acid is safe to handle. There are many uses of lauric acid, such as the production of soaps and cosmetics.
What is Caprylic Acid?
Caprylic acid is a saturated fatty acid having the chemical formula C8H16O2. The systematic name of this compound is octanoic acid. It is a saturated fatty acid that can be categorized as a medium-chain fatty acid, and it is a carboxylic acid.
Figure 02: The Chemical Structure of Caprylic Acid
Caprylic acid occurs as a colorless oily liquid that is poorly soluble in water, and also it has a slightly unpleasant rancid-like smell and taste. Moreover, the salts and other compounds of caprylic acid are known as octanoates or caprylates. We can produce caprylic acid from the oxidation of the C8 aldehyde. However, derivatives of caprylic acid can be found naturally in the milk of different animals such as mammals and in plant derivatives such as coconut oil and palm kernel oil.
Commercially, caprylic acid is useful in the production of esters that are used in the manufacture of perfumes and dyes. Moreover, it is useful as an antimicrobial pesticide for the purpose of food contact surface sanitization in commercial food handling applications. These applications include dairy equipment, food processing equipment, breweries, wineries, etc. In addition, caprylic acid is important as a disinfectant in healthcare facilities, schools, animal care units, industries, office buildings, etc.
What is the Difference Between Lauric Acid and Caprylic Acid?
We can compare lauric acid and caprylic acid according to the ketogenic ability of these fatty acids. The key difference between lauric acid and caprylic acid is that lauric acid is comparatively less ketogenic, whereas caprylic acid is about six times more ketogenic than lauric acid.
The below infographic presents the differences between lauric acid and caprylic acid in tabular form for side by side comparison.
Summary – Lauric Acid vs Caprylic Acid
Lauric acid is a saturated fatty acid having a 12-carbon atom chain having the chemical formula C12H24O2. Caprylic acid is a saturated fatty acid having the chemical formula C8H16O2. The key difference between lauric acid and caprylic acid is that lauric acid is comparatively less ketogenic, whereas caprylic acid is about six times more ketogenic than lauric acid.
Reference:
1. Gotter, Ana. “Caprylic Acid: Coconut Oil’s Secret.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 17 Dec. 2016.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Lauric acid” By Calvero. – Selfmade with ChemDraw. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Caprylic acid” By Calvero. – Selfmade with ChemDraw. (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia