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.

Du möchtest dich auch gesünder ernähren?

hero manu2
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.

Always stay up to date with our Newsletter.

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.

Similar posts by Foodpunk

Graphik, ein Herz und Herzrhythmus. Im Herz liege Nüsse, Avocado und Lachs / Graphic, a heart and heart rhythm. Inside the heart are nuts, avocado, and salmon.
15 minutes reading time

All about cholesterol

Why do we need cholesterol? Is there good and bad cholesterol? How can I influence my cholesterol level?

Kohlenhydrate und Fett 2
3 minutes reading time

Carbohydrates and fat – The daily bite of knowledge

Good or bad idea? Click in to find out the answer!

Was ist eigentlich Erythrit
3 minutes reading time

What actually is erythritol? – The daily bite of knowledge

We have summarized all the pros and cons in this small article.

Kohlenhydratreiche Suskartoffeln
4 minutes reading time

How are carbohydrates structured?

Sure! Carbohydrates are pasta, rice, potatoes. Everybody knows it! But do you really know what a carbohydrate molecule looks like?

Warum-ein-Refeed
4 minutes reading time

What is a refeed suitable for? – The daily bite of knowledge

A refeed is useful for all people who follow a very low-carbohydrate diet (under 30-50 g of carbohydrates per day) for a longer period of time and do this diet for more fitness, well-being and a weight loss.

Holzbrett mit Granatäpfeln, Limetten, Äpflen, Smoothies / Wooden board with pomegranates, limes, apples, smoothies
2 minutes reading time

So much fruit you can eat in the keto diet

Here we have created a fruit table in which you can see exactly what amount of fruit contains what amount of carbohydrates.

Abbildung Zellen unseres Immunsystems / Illustration Cells of our immune system
6 minutes reading time

Anti-inflammatory effect of a ketogenic diet

In several of our articles we talk about the anti-inflammatory effect of the keto diet, here you will learn how it comes to this effect.

glucose transporter deficiency, description of the chemical process
2 minutes reading time

Ketogenic diet in glucose transporter deficiency.

Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) is a very rare, auto-somal dominant inherited, neurometabolic disorder first reported in 1991 by De Vivo et. al. was described as epileptic encephalopathy in the New England Journal of Medicine on the basis of 2 case reports.

Deine Haut isst mit
3 minutes reading time

Your skin eats with you! – The daily bite of knowledge

Have you ever thought about the substances you put on your skin every day? They should not be underestimated, because the skin eats with you.