Chemical and Biological Properties of Lauric Acid: A Review.

Health, growth, immunity and development of infants depend on their breast milk consumption. Lauric acid is one important constituent among the various nutritional factors that complex together to form the breast milk. This medium chain triglyceride with 12-carbon atom chain component has many medicinal values. Lauric acid has been found to have present in 6.2% of human breast milk, 3.1% of goat milk and 2.9% in cow milk. Besides being present in milk its presence has been recognized in plant sources (mainly oil)-coconut, cohune and palm kernel oil in common. Coconut oil extracted from a single one contains approximately 50% of Lauric acid. The isolation of Lauric acid from plant sources hence is easier and convenient than animal sources with increase in the percentage of component extracted. Researchers conducted study on Lauric acid suggested, it to be a non-toxic, safe to handle component with long shelf-life. It is even easily absorbable and digestible by the body. This component has many therapeutic properties in human’s health as such – prevention from various skin diseases, decrease in the bad cholesterol level, body weight deduction. Even antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticancer capabilities are present in this Lauric acid. But, till date the evidence is currently ambiguous as to whether Lauric acid supplementation has a significant effect on body.This article gives a review on the beneficial properties of Lauric acid with details of natural sources to isolate this specific component. Even the probable biological applications of it are given in this review which may ponder a path to future drug development process in various aspects.