MCT oil is made from coconut oil or palm kernel oil through a purification process that isolates specific fatty acids with medium-length carbon chains. Most commercial MCT oil contains two main fatty acids: caprylic acid (C8) and capric acid (C10), typically in a roughly 50/50 blend. These two fats make up a small fraction of whole coconut oil, so extracting and concentrating them is what transforms a natural oil into the clear, flavorless liquid sold as MCT oil.
The Four Medium-Chain Fatty Acids
“Medium-chain” refers to the length of the fat molecule’s carbon backbone. There are four fatty acids that qualify:
- C6 (caproic acid): 6 carbons long. Rarely included in MCT oil because it has a harsh taste and can cause stomach discomfort.
- C8 (caprylic acid): 8 carbons long. The most prized MCT, absorbed and converted to energy fastest. Makes up 50 to 80% of most commercial MCT oils.
- C10 (capric acid): 10 carbons long. Slightly slower to metabolize than C8 but still much faster than regular dietary fat. Typically makes up 20 to 50% of the blend.
- C12 (lauric acid): 12 carbons long. Technically a medium-chain fatty acid, but its behavior in the body is closer to that of longer-chain fats. Most MCT oil manufacturers leave it out.
The distinction matters because C8 and C10 are the fatty acids responsible for the rapid energy effects people associate with MCT oil. Lauric acid, while beneficial in its own right, doesn’t share the same metabolic shortcut.
Where the Raw Material Comes From
Coconut oil is the most common starting material. Virgin coconut oil naturally contains about 7% caprylic acid (C8) and 5% capric acid (C10), with the dominant fat being lauric acid at around 42%. That means producing a bottle of concentrated C8/C10 MCT oil requires processing a much larger volume of coconut oil and separating out the fatty acids you don’t want.
Palm kernel oil is the other major source. It comes from the seed inside the palm fruit, not the fruit’s flesh (which yields regular palm oil). Palm kernel oil has a similar fatty acid profile to coconut oil, making it a viable alternative. Some brands blend both sources, while others use one exclusively. If sourcing matters to you, check the label: coconut-derived MCT oil is more commonly marketed as a standalone claim, while palm-sourced products sometimes carry sustainability certifications from organizations like the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
How MCT Oil Is Manufactured
The process that turns whole coconut or palm kernel oil into MCT oil is called fractionation. In simple terms, the oil is cooled in a controlled way so that different fats solidify at different temperatures. The longer-chain fats, including lauric acid, crystallize and separate out first. The liquid portion left behind is enriched in the shorter C8 and C10 chains.
Industrial fractionation can involve solvents, but newer methods use solvent-free crystallization, slowly cooling the oil at precise rates (as low as 0.10°C per minute) to encourage clean separation. Some manufacturers run the oil through a second round of fractionation to push the MCT concentration even higher. The result is a purified oil that’s nearly all medium-chain triglycerides, with little to no lauric acid, long-chain fats, or other compounds from the original oil.
How MCT Oil Differs From Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is often marketed as a source of MCTs, and it is, but in a diluted form. Only about 12 to 15% of coconut oil is the C8 and C10 fats found in MCT oil. The rest is primarily lauric acid and various long-chain fats. MCT oil concentrates those C8 and C10 fats to somewhere between 70 and 100% of the total, depending on the brand.
This concentration gap explains why MCT oil behaves differently in the body. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and gets digested more like a conventional fat. MCT oil stays liquid, has virtually no flavor, and follows a unique digestive route.
Why the Body Handles MCTs Differently
Most dietary fats take a long, winding path through your digestive system. They’re broken down in the intestine, packaged into transport particles, and sent through the lymphatic system before eventually reaching the bloodstream and liver. This process takes hours.
C8 and C10 fatty acids skip most of that. They’re absorbed directly from the gut into the portal vein, a blood vessel that runs straight to the liver. Once there, they’re broken down for energy immediately, without needing the usual carrier molecules that longer fats depend on. This is why MCTs are sometimes compared to carbohydrates in terms of how quickly they become available as fuel, even though they’re technically fat.
This rapid absorption is also why MCT oil can cause digestive discomfort (cramping, nausea) if you take too much at once. Your liver gets flooded with fatty acids faster than it can process them, especially when you’re not used to it.
What to Look for on the Label
Not all MCT oils are the same product. Some bottles contain pure C8 (caprylic acid), which costs more but delivers the fastest absorption. Others use the standard C8/C10 blend. A few budget options include lauric acid (C12), which dilutes the concentration of the more rapidly metabolized fats. If the label just says “medium-chain triglycerides” without specifying the breakdown, it may contain a significant amount of lauric acid.
The most informative labels list the grams of caprylic acid and capric acid per serving separately. A quality MCT oil will show that nearly all of its fat content comes from these two. The oil itself should be colorless, odorless, and liquid at room temperature. Store it in a cool, dry place at roughly room temperature. It doesn’t need refrigeration, but it shouldn’t be exposed to extreme heat or frozen.