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.[6] It is a bright white, powdery solid with a faint odor of bay oil or soap. The salts and esters of lauric acid are known as laurates.
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.[11]
Although 95% of medium-chain triglycerides are absorbed through the portal vein, only 25–30% of lauric acid is absorbed through it.[14][15] Lauric acid induces apoptosis in cancer and promotes the proliferation of normal cells by maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. [16]
Lauric acid increases total serum lipoproteins more than many other fatty acids, but mostly high-density lipoprotein (HDL). As a result, lauric acid has been characterized as having "a more favorable effect on total HDL than any other fatty acid [examined], either saturated or unsaturated".[17] In general, a lower total/HDL serum lipoprotein ratio correlates with a decrease in atherosclerotic incidence.[18] Nonetheless, an extensive meta-analysis on foods affecting the total LDL/serum lipoprotein ratio found in 2003 that the net effects of lauric acid on coronary artery disease outcomes remained uncertain.[19] A 2016 review of coconut oil (which is nearly half lauric acid) was similarly inconclusive about the effects on cardiovascular disease incidence.[15]
^ abcdDodecanoic acid in Linstrom, Peter J.; Mallard, William G. (eds.); NIST Chemistry WebBook, NIST Standard Reference Database Number 69, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg (MD) (retrieved 2014-06-14)
^ abcdefSeidell, Atherton; Linke, William F. (1952). Solubilities of inorganic and organic compounds (3rd ed.). New York: D. Van Nostrand Company. pp. 742–743.
^ abDavid J. Anneken, Sabine Both, Ralf Christoph, Georg Fieg, Udo Steinberner, Alfred Westfechtel "Fatty Acids" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2006, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a10_245.pub2
^Zarifikhosroshahi; Tugba Murathan; Kafkas; Okatan (2019). "Variation in volatile and fatty acid contents among Viburnum opulus L. Fruits growing different locations". Scientia Horticulturae. 264: 109160. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2019.109160. S2CID213568257.
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. ISBN978-0-12-016437-0.
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