New Year, coconuts and lauric acid

Dear Colleagues,

This Friday we will begin a new year, and the honour of being the first place in the world to start 2022 will go to the island of Kiritimati (Christmas Island), which belongs to the Republic of Kiribati, a country in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

This country has been famous in the past for coconuts, and in fact they are still very important to its economy.

Coconut oil is a type of oil that is very rich in lauric acid or dodecanoic acid, a medium-chain saturated fatty acid with 12 carbons that accounts for almost 50% of its composition.

Lauric acid is a type of fatty acid that, once consumed, is transformed into monolaurins or supplied directly as monoglyceride. It has demonstrated interesting antimicrobial effects against enveloped viruses, Gram-negative bacteria, and certain protozoa.

Below is one of several articles related to the antimicrobial properties of this lipid against different types of bacteria:

The NBG team wishes you a prosperous and happy New Year!