Myristic acid

Myristic acid is one of the saturated fatty acids, a straight-chain carboxylic acid with 14 carbon atoms, also known by its systematic name tetradecanoic acid. It is a major component of many animal fats, vegetable fats, and oils, occurring notably in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, butterfat, and nutmeg butter, from which it takes its name. In nutrition it is classified among the cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acids, so its level matters in the fatty-acid profiling of edible fats. In food technology, myristic acid and its esters serve as reference standards in lipid analysis, as flavour precursors, and in the manufacture of emulsifiers and surfactants where its chain length gives useful functional properties.