Sources of Lauric and Capric Acid in the U.S. and Canadian Food Supply

There are a wealth of coconut products available to consumers around the world. In the U.S., however, there are only a handful of foods available that are manufactured with a significant level of coconut (i.e., desiccated coconut, coconut milk, etc.), and even fewer that contain no additives and/or preservatives or are not made with coconut oil processed with solvents. [Solvent extraction with liquid hexane -- a petroleum derived solvent -- allows coconut oil manufacturers to increase their yields by using solvents to capture some of the remaining coconut oil that traditional milling cannot remove.]

     Below is a product list containing brand names, origin, manufacturer's contact information, lauric and capric acid composition, and rating scale (i.e., 0 to 5, 5 being the highest) based on appropriateness for inclusion in a nutritional support protocol. Lauric.org welcomes all submissions by manufacturers of products that fall under the category of functional food and may be suitable for inclusion in this list.

     Occasionally, lauric.org receives inquiries regarding availability of palm kernel oil products in the U.S. To date, lauric.org is not aware of any products that fit the nutritional profile of a suitable dietary source applicable to any of lauric.org's protocols. While several U.S. candy manufacturers (e.g., Nestle) actively use palm kernel oil in their product's formulations, cocoa butter, which contains no lauric acid, tends to be chief source of fat. As a result, the amount of lauric acid made available from palm kernel oil is too small to be considered as a recommended food source.

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