Fractionated Coconut Oil:
What Exactly is It?

Coconut oil contains at least 9 different fatty acids:

• Caproic Acid
• Caprylic Acid
• Capric Acid
• Lauric Acid
• Myristic Acid
• Palmitic Acid
• Stearic Acid
• Oleic Acid
• Linoleic Acid

MCT oil contains only two of the above fatty acids. These are caprylic and capric. It is an artificial oil and by no means a substitute for say, virgin coconut oil (VCO).

Caprylic acid is often used for cosmetic purposes. Hollywood must have a lot of this acid then. :-) Its chemical name is octanoic acid.

On the other hand, capric acid hangs out in the food flavoring business and goes by the geek name, decanoic acid. You'll often see medium-chain triglyceride or MCT listed as an ingredient on food and supplement labels.