MCT oil (medium-chain triglycerides)

Medium-chain triglycerides are a defined pharmacopoeial substance rather than a botanical extract. The European and United States pharmacopoeias describe them as a mixture of triglycerides of saturated fatty acids, mainly caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid, derived from the oil of the dried endosperm of Cocos nucifera L. or the kernel of Elaeis guineensis Jacq. Production runs by hydrolysing the source oil, fractionating out the C8 and C10 fatty acids and re-esterifying them onto glycerol, which is why the finished oil is chemically distinct from the coconut oil it started as. The monograph requires not less than 95.0% of the fatty acid fraction to be C8 plus C10, with caproic acid at 2.0% maximum, caprylic 50.0-80.0%, capric 20.0-50.0%, lauric 3.0% maximum and myristic 1.0% maximum. The practical appeal to formulators is behaviour, not just composition. MCT oil is a clear, low-viscosity liquid (25-33 mPa s) that stays liquid well below room temperature, has almost no unsaturation to oxidise (iodine value 1.0 maximum) and therefore a peroxide value ceiling of 1.0 and a genuinely long shelf life for an oil. That makes it the default carrier for oil-soluble actives, flavours, colours and botanical extracts, the default fill oil for softgels and tinctures, and a clean energy-dense fat for sports and ketogenic formats. Thovek supplies the standard 60:40 C8:C10 grade, a 70:30 grade, and a C8-rich caprylic grade at 99% minimum for buyers whose label leads on C8. A spray-dried powder at roughly 70% oil load is offered where a dry blend is needed. Origin and allergen status are straightforward for the oil and less so for the powder. The oil is wholly plant-derived, vegan and vegetarian, with no milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean, gluten, peanut or tree nut input, and no bovine, porcine or marine material; coconut is treated as a tree nut under United States labelling rules even though it is botanically a drupe, so buyers shipping to the US should carry that declaration. The powder depends entirely on its carrier: an acacia fibre or tapioca-derived carrier keeps the product vegan and allergen-free, whereas a sodium caseinate carrier introduces MILK and disqualifies the product from vegan and dairy-free claims. Specify the carrier at enquiry. Every lot ships with a certificate of analysis covering the fatty acid distribution, acid, peroxide, iodine, hydroxyl and saponification values, heavy metals and residual solvents.