Coconut oil vs. MCT oil – The daily bite of knowledge

Written by Marina Lommel
2 minutes reading time
17. July 2023 zuletzt aktualisiert am 6. October 2025 von Kimberly Werner
MCT-Öl-vs-Kokosol

In the last Bites of Knowledge, we touched on the properties of MCT oil. Since coconut oil also contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), today we will compare coconut oil and MCT oil in an overview.

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Property Coconut oil MCT oil
Fatty acid composition 45-53% lauric acid (C12)

8-10% palmitic acid

17-21% myristic acid

5-10% oleic acid

5-10% caprylic acid (C8)

5-8 % Capric acid (C10)

2-4 % stearic acid

1-3% linoleic acid

Depending on the product changing ratio of

Lauric acid (C12)
Capric acid (C10)
Caprylic acid (C8)
Caproic acid (C6), rare.

“XCT oil” contains only capric and caprylic acid,
“C8 oil” caprylic acid only.

Source Coconut meat Coconut oil and/or palm oil, depending on the manufacturer.
Application Roasting, baking, refining hot dishes & drinks. For dressings, to refine cold or hot dishes or drinks. Not suitable for frying, for baking only at not too hot temperature.
Starts smoking at 190 ° C 120 ° C
Melts at 23-26 ° C (liquid in summer) -5 °C (liquid at room temperature)
Effect on the body Has antibacterial effect, contains traces of vitamins and minerals. Lauric acid: deters ticks and has antimicrobial effects, but most often causes digestive problems of all medium-chain fatty acids.

Capric acid: Has a particularly positive effect on thermogenesis and thus energy consumption and ketone body formation – “metabolic effect”.

Caprylic Acid: Acts primarily on ketone body formation and may eventually cross the blood-brain barrier to serve as an energy source – “brain boosting effect”.

Caproic acid: No known special effect.

There is no “better” or “worse” here. Both have different properties. The proportion of fatty acids, which have a stimulating effect on the metabolism and promote the formation of ketone bodies, is higher in MCT oil (it is best to contain only C10 and C8 here). For this you can bake with coconut oil, fry and still have a few vitamins and minerals at the start.

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The daily* bite of knowledge

This new section is intended to provide a brief look at topics in nutrition science.

(* almost daily)

This article was written by

Marina Lommel

Marina gründete Foodpunk nach ihrem Abschluss in Ernährungswissenschaften und ist aktuell CEO des Unternehmens. Während ihres Studiums arbeitete sie in verschiedenen Bereichen, darunter in der Wissenschaftsredaktion beim Radio, Redaktion beim TV und Uni-Wissensmagazin sowie im Labor am DZNE in der Parkinsonforschung. Marina ist außerdem Autorin von 5 ernährungswissenschaftlichen Sachbüchern.

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