What is myristic acid in chemistry?

Myristic Acid is a saturated long-chain fatty acid with a 14-carbon backbone. Myristic acid is found naturally in palm oil, coconut oil and butter fat. Tetradecanoic acid is a straight-chain, fourteen-carbon, long-chain saturated fatty acid mostly found in milk fat.

What does myristic acid look like?

Myristic acid is a fatty acid that was first discovered in nutmeg, so its name comes from the scientific name for nutmeg. This acid can also be found in other foods, like palm kernel oil, coconut oil and butterfat. It has a white or light yellow cast and is available in a crystal-like solid or powder.

What is the structure of myristic acid?

C14H28O2
Myristic acid/Formula

Is myristic acid saturated or unsaturated?

Myristic acid, a long-chain saturated fatty acid (14:0), is one of the most abundant fatty acids in milk fat (above 10%) (Verruck et al., 2019). This fatty acid is known because it accumulates fat in the body, however, its consumption also impacts positively on cardiovascular health.

What is myristic acid in skin care?

Myristic acid is mainly used as an emulsifier and surfactant. It is used in cosmetic products to give it stability and avoiding the oil and water-based components of the product from getting separated. It thickens the emulsion and improves its stability. It as a surfactant forms a base in cleansing products.

What does myristic acid do in soap?

Myristic is a saturated fatty acid that contributes hardness, cleansing, and fluffy lather. A lot of exotic oils contain high amounts of myristic acid, such as Murumuru Butter, Tucuma Seed Butter, Monoi de Tahiti Oil, and Cohune Oil.

Is myristic acid safe for skin?

Most of the esters are used as skin conditioning agents in many types of cosmetics in a range of concentrations. The Panel determined that myristic acid and its salts and esters are safe as cosmetic ingredients in the current practices of use and concentration.

Is myristic acid safe to eat?

The data and information that are available indicate that at the current level of intake, food flavoring use of myristic acid does not pose a health risk to humans.

Is myristic acid bad?

Myristic Acid is a digestible constituent of most vegetable and animal fats and is nontoxic when ingested. Following oral exposure, Butyl Myristate and Ethyl Myristate were not toxic. Dermal exposure indicated that Myristic Acid and Butyl Myristate were not irritating.

What does palmitic acid do for skin?

As a fatty acid, palmitic acid can act as an emollient. When applied to the skin by lotions, creams or bath oils, emollients can soften the skin and help it retain moisture by forming an oily, water blocking layer that slows the loss of water through the skin.

What is saponified oil?

Saponified oil or fat is a lipid substance treated with sodium or patassium hydroxide to convert it into soap.

What is myristic acid for skin?

What is the melting point of myristic acid?

It is a saturated fatty acid (no double bond so in shorthand 14:0) member of the sub-group called long chain fatty acids (LCFA), from 14 to 18 carbon atoms. In purified form it is white solid insoluble in water, with melting point at 53.9 °C (129.02 °F; 327.05 K) and boiling point at 250 °C (482 °F; 523.15 K) at 100 mmHg.

Where is myristic acid found in the body?

How many carbon atoms are in myristic acid?

Myristic acid (14 carbon atoms) was discovered by Playfair L. in 1841 in the nutmeg that is the seed of the tropical tree Myristica fragrans, from which its name. It is a saturated fatty acid (no double bond so in shorthand 14:0) member of the sub-group called long chain fatty acids (LCFA), from 14 to 18 carbon atoms.

What foods have the most myristic acid in them?

Food sources of myristic acid. It occurs, as glycerol ester, in most animal and vegetable fats and oils. In animal fats, such as meat, eggs, milk, fish, shellfish, and crustacean fats, it is present in small quantities, <1.5 g/ 100 g of edible portion (maximum content: 1.4 g/ 100 g of edible portion in eel,…