Brain Octane compared to MiCkey T Eight, KetoMCT Oil, CapTri and CLEAN MCT

Are you putting grass fed butter and pure C8 MCT oil in your morning coffee or tea yet? If not, you’re missing out on a terrific tool to augment intermittent fasting and boost mental focus.

I wrote another post on the benefits of MCT oil and how it works in the body. For those details, read Why I Drink Bulletproof Coffee.

In this post, I want to provide a comparison of the pure C8 MCT oil brands I found. It’s a shootout! Brain Octane compared to MiCkey T Eight, KetoMCT Oil and CapTri. The newest product is called CLEAN MCT.

A quick review of what MCT Oil is

MCT stands for Medium Chain Triglyceride and is defined as any fat with 6, 8 or 10 carbon chains. It is common to refer to these carbon chains as C6, C8 or C10. C12 is debatable as a true MCT because it behaves like a longer chain fatty acid in many ways. MCT oil is refined from coconut and palm oil.

MCTs don’t readily get stored as fat in the body. 98-99% get burned for energy, according to “Notification of the GRAS Determination of Medium Chain Triglycerides When Added Directly to Human Food” published by the FDA. The document states, “MCTs are an immediately available source of energy and only a small percent is converted into body fat. While dietary fats or oils are not a ready source of energy, MCTs provide a ready source of energy, do not cause weight gain, and are able to stimulate thennogenesis.”

Dr. Alvin Berger, a lipid nutritionist and biochemist, pointed out to me a flaw in the FDA quote. He noted, “Dietary fats are a “ready” and excellent source of energy, just not as quick an energy source as MCTs and MCFAs.”

Standard MCT oil is cheaper and generally a mixture of C10 capric acid and C8 caprylic acid. Both turn into ATP (cellular fuel) after only 3 steps. By contrast, sugar takes 26 steps. This makes MCT oil extremely effective at suppressing cravings and providing stable energy.

C10 is the rarest 9% of coconut or palm oil. You would need 6 tablespoons of coconut or palm oil to get the amount of C10 that is in one tablespoon of standard MCT oil.

C8 has no taste or odor and is the rarest 6% of coconut or palm oil. It is also the fastest to metabolize, resulting in a quicker rise in blood ketone levels and the mental focus it’s famous for providing. It would take 18 tablespoons of coconut or palm oil to get the amount of C8 contained in one tablespoon of pure C8.

MCT oil should not be used to replace all of the fat in your diet. In fact, many find a high fat, low carbohydrate diet to produce even more dramatic benefits. By “high fat”, I mean approximately 50% or more of total daily macronutrients. My Wellness Repair Diet, is a high fat, low carb and moderate protein.

MCTs don’t readily get stored as fat in the body. 98-99% get burned for energy! Share on X

How I came to use Pure C8 MCT oil

The most famous brand of pure C8 MCT oil is Bulletproof® Brain Octane®. The founder of the Bulletproof® company is Dave Asprey, a self described “bio-hacker” that pioneered the idea of butter and MCT oil blended together in coffee.

This video gives you a sense of the traction Bulletproof® Coffee is gaining.

Dave has a super informative podcast called Bulletproof® Radio, and that’s where I first learned about his C8 MCT oil. I listen to every episode and highly recommend it.

I decided to give Brain Octane a try and the advertised boost of mental focus was immediate. I was accustomed to being able to focus pretty well, but not THAT well. I was also able to go hours longer in the morning without feeling hungry. Prior to using the MCT oil and butter, I would start to fade by around 10 AM. With the oil and butter, I have gone as late as 4:30 pm before even thinking about food.

Pure C8 and grass fed butter in coffee has been part of my daily routine ever since.

C8 MCT oil and butter in coffee is gaining momentum as a great way to boost mental focus. Share on X

Product comparisons at a glance

Here are the features of the various brands and what differentiate them.

Price for a 32oz bottle

Brain Octane® – $32.68 with free shipping if you order on Amazon and have Amazon Prime
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – $36.95 with free shipping if you order on Amazon and have Amazon Prime
KetoMCT Oil – $35.10 with free shipping if you order on Amazon and have Amazon Prime
CLEAN MCT – $35.88 in plastic bottles. $49.99 in glass bottles. Both are available to Amazon Prime members with free shipping.
CapTri® – $40 + $8 shipping for my location

Source

Brain Octane® – Sustainable, organic coconut plantations across Southeast Asia. Exact sourcing is proprietary but RSPO certified.
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – Sustainable palm and coconut oils. Sourcing is proprietary but RSPO certified per Doug Long. I was also able to personally verify certification for this one.
KetoMCT Oil – Only sustainable coconut and palm oils. Sourcing is proprietary but RSPO certified per Dr. Alvin Berger.
CLEAN MCT – Sustainably sourced and RSPO certified per Levi Leon, CEO of LevelUp.
CapTri® – coconut oil

Certificate of Analysis (COA)

Brain Octane® – Protected as proprietary
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – Published as an image on their Amazon page
KetoMCT Oil – Percentages are (buried) in the Q&A of the Amazon order page.
CLEAN MCT – Available by request from the LevelUp website
CapTri® – Available by request from John Parrillo

Typical C8 purity based on viewing the COA

Brain Octane® – Protected as proprietary
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – 99.07% C8
KetoMCT Oil – 97.79% C8
CLEAN MCT – 99.41% C8
CapTri® – 99% C8

GMO?

All brands are non-GMO.

Plastic or glass bottles

Brain Octane® – BPA-free plastic
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – BPA-free plastic
KetoMCT Oil – BPA-free plastic
CLEAN MCT – BPA-free plastic and glass! (both are available on Amazon)
CapTri® – Glass only

Social Media

Brain Octane® – Facebook and Twitter
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – None that I can find
KetoMCT Oil – Facebook & a email list that gets discount codes from time to time
CLEAN MCT – Facebook
CapTri® – Facebook

Pros

Brain Octane® – Lowest price. Sustainable and organic sourcing, Quantity discounts available, Highest brand recognition, Fast and mature web site, Has many companion products and a podcast, Available from multiple retail outlets, Available through Amazon
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – Proactively transparent, COA scan available on the order page, Available through Amazon
KetoMCT Oil – Quantity discounts available, Available through Amazon, Customer support appears excellent, Available in air travel friendly 1 oz size, Lots of helpful research on their web site
CLEAN MCT – Purest by a whisker, Low price, Glass bottles available and from Amazon, Powder form available, COA scan available by request
CapTri® – Glass bottles, Comes in butter flavor, COA scan available by request, Vast technical information on why someone should use MCT oil

Cons

Brain Octane® – No COA info made available
MiCkey T™ Eight™ – Company web site is under construction, but all sales are through Amazon, so the actual sales transaction is comfy.
KetoMCT Oil – None
CLEAN MCT – None
CapTri® – Highest cost after shipping, Not available through Amazon

About Certificates of Analysis

For every batch of any kind of supplement, there is a Certificate Of Analysis (COA) that includes “a description of the test or examination method(s) used, limits of the test or examinations, and actual results of the tests or examinations;”. Basically, it shows the purity of the substance.

The FDA has strong guidelines for the requirement and verification of a COA. The Code of Federal Regulations do not, however, require sellers to make COAs available to end supplement buyers.

Dr. Alvin Berger is the CEO of SCIADONICS, which brought KetoMCT to market. He explained to me that, “The COA provided by the original manufacturer of the product is their confidential product and the document cannot be shared.” As a result, retailers sometimes elect to have an independent analysis performed, so they have a COA to share publicly. He says, “KetoMCT has not performed an independent analysis at this time, and so cannot share their COA.” SCIADONICS does share the percentages from the latest batch, but in text format rather than as a scan of the confidential COA document.

Dr. Berger pointed out to me that there may actually be benefits to having small amounts of C10 and C6 in a commercial product. He wrote in an email, “First, C10 (capric, decanoic) seems to activate a receptor known as PPAR gamma (linked to insulin sensitization and enhanced glucose metabolism; beneficial in diabetes and metabolic syndrome) and to induce mitochondrial proliferation (as happens with ketogenic diets to handle the influx of fatty acids burned for energy).” That’s backed up by this study. He went on, “Regarding C6 FA (hexanoic, caproic), it is another MCFA (Medium Chain Fatty Acid) commonly found in cow, goat, and sheep milk. Its metabolism has not been studied extensively in humans, but it is 2 carbons shorter than C8, and as such, would be expected to be burned for energy faster, and converted faster to ketone bodies. Studies in pigs suggest that C6 may be the optimal chain length of MCTs for absorption”. You can read that study here.

MiCkey T™ Eight™ publishes a scan of their latest COA on the sales page. CapTri® will send you a scan of theirs on request. Bulletproof choses not to make their COA percentages available, citing proprietary information.

My take is that I appreciate when manufacturers make their Certificate Of Analysis (COA) info available, in one way or another, for each new batch of their product. I am persuaded that the minute purity variations between these products are not significant enough to impact a buying decision.

A Certificate Of Analysis (COA) shows the purity of a supplement. Share on X

Does the C8 refinement process matter?

Much attention is drawn to the refinement process and purity, so I wanted to understand it better.

C8 is a combination of molecules that does not come into existence by itself in nature. In that sense, it is a manufactured product.

A process is used to extract oil and refine caprylic acid (raw C8) from coconuts and/or palm kernel oil and then combine 3 molecules of raw C8 with 1 molecule of glycerine from vegetable sources. The industry term for the combining of molecules is “esterification”, which means addition. Esterification of caprylic acid with glycerine changes the C8 from an acid to an oil.

The percentage of coconut or palm kernel oil in the final product is zero as Doug Long explains, “Our product is created by esterfication.. that means it starts with the basic building blocks and is recombined to make a pure substance. It is pure caprylic fatty acid and glycerine combined to form Caprylic Acid Triglyceride. The fatty acid itself comes from either coconut or palm kernel but asking how much of either is really irrelevant. Sort of like saying I am going to extract the vitamin C from orange juice then asking how much orange juice is in the capsule. Again, zero. It is more relevant to compare the the amount of C8 in coconut or palm kernel as a proportion to other fats they contain. But once it is broken down, caprylic acid is caprylic acid.”

Also, glycerin is a molecular component of the final substance. All C8 has this in common, no matter who it comes from.

The largest point of contention seems to be over how the oil is extracted from the plant. This is because a standard method of oil extraction for other oils, like soy, involves the use a chemical solvent like hexane or acetone. Both are toxic.

Bulletproof is very proactive on this point and highlights solvent-free extraction in their marketing:

“…the unique process we use at Bulletproof is completely chemical and solvent-free. Most MCT’s on the market are manufactured via chemical/solvent refining, which can require using chemicals like hexane and different enzymes and combustion chemicals, such as sodium methoxide. The oils used to make MCTs – palm and coconut – are often solvent extracted too, but not Bulletproof.

We never allow solvents anywhere near our process. We use triple steam distillation in a non-oxygen atmosphere to avoid lipid oxidation and create a purer process.”

In August of 2016, Bulletproof announced that Brain Octane would be “Distilled from 100% pure coconut oil“. The reason is “to protect wild orangutan habitat in Southeast Asia“. You can learn more about the orangutan issue here.

While true that oil is extracted from seeds with a chemical extraction process, that is not necessarily needed for coconut or palm oil extraction. Many manufacturers just press the oil out without solvents.

The percentage of coconut or palm kernel oil in pure C8 MCT oil is zero. Share on X

Does a process exist to extract oil without a chemical solvent?

Absolutely! On a smaller scale, simply crushing the oil out works.

For larger scale operations, I learned that supercritical carbon dioxide is now being used as the extraction solvent for creation of essential oils and other herbal distillates. Its main advantages over solvents such as hexane and acetone are that it is non-toxic and non-flammable. The process is much cheaper and simpler as it evaporates into the air and can be used over and over.

Dr. Berger sent me this reference document that explains a great deal about the process. He says, “Per my reading, all of these processes can be done with heat, pressure, and distillation without solvents.”

I still don’t know exactly what process Bulletproof uses, but there’s no question it can be done. Also, I want to be clear that I do not know how any of the C8 brands being compared expel oil.

Supercritical carbon dioxide is a process to extract oil without toxic chemicals. Share on X

There are numerous purification steps after extraction

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the refining steps after extraction include “centrifuges to separate the oil” and “physical refining (steam stripping, distillative neutralisation) which are used for removing the free fatty acids.”

After distillation, a centrifuge purifies further, separating elements based on chemical density.

“Bleaching” and “deodorizing” were also flags to me at first. These are steps in the last stages of the refining process. I learned from madehow.com that bleaching simply means filtering it through fuller’s earth, activated carbon, or activated clays (like a water filter does). Deodorizing is accomplished by passing steam over the oil in a vacuum “thus allowing the volatile taste and odor components to distill from the oil”; so another distillation pass. This deodorizing (steam distillation in a vacuum) sounds much like what Bulletproof describes as: “triple steam distillation in a non-oxygen atmosphere”.

MCT oil goes through numerous purification steps. Share on X

What about the plastic bottles?

Bulletproof says their BPA free bottles do not leech any chemicals into their oil.

“These bottles do not release any chemicals into the oil and the oil is only touching other oil molecules as a single molecule of oil bonds to the inner wall of the bottle.”

I asked Bulletproof to point me to their science on this point and was told by email, “I do not have research for this on hand unfortunately, mostly because that info can be cross referenced online and can reveal who our manufacturers are, which is also proprietary info.”

But assuming it’s verifiable, Mickey T Eight appears to source their bottles from the same company. KetoMCT also uses BPA free plastic bottles.

CapTri® had long distinguished itself as the only C8 available in glass bottles, but that’s changed now that CLEAN MCT has come along.

Hey, the calories are different on the bottle

Yes, it’s true that the labels show different calories, but it’s not because there’s any appreciable difference in the product. MiCkey T™ Eight™ lists 92.5 calories per tablespoon. KetoMCT Oil says 100 cals/tbsp. CapTri® lists 120 cals/tbsp. Brain Octane® says 130 cals/tbsp. CLEAN MCT shows 100 calories per tablespoon.

Doug at Real Food Expeditors is a semi retired attorney and stickler for details. He points out on the Amazon sales page, “Pure virgin coconut oil contains 8 different fats and contains 117 calories per tablespoon (13.6 grams). Pure Caprylic Acid MCT metabolizes differently because of the shorter carbon chain and yields 6.8 calories per gram versus 9 calories per gram for ordinary long chain fats like olive oil. (Coconut Oil is slightly less because it contains about 50% MCT) Thus, a tablespoon of pure Caprylic Acid MCT will be about 93 calories per tablespoon (13.6 grams).“

My choice

I believe I could use any of these products and be quite happy, but I did ultimately need to select one.

Parrillo Performance CapTri® MCT Oil is one of two I have not tried yet. I did find John Parrillo to respond quickly to my questions and to have that transparency I appreciate. John’s organization specializes in body building, sports nutrition and supplements. Looks like he is a pillar and pioneer in the fitness space and has been an expert in MCT oil for a very long time. Extra points to CapTri® for the glass bottles and extensive content about MCT oil. John says, “We decided from the start (1980s) to package Captri C8 MCT in glass.”

Bulletproof® Brain Octane® works as advertised for me. I have ordered several bottles with consistent quality and find I relate well to the Bulletproof culture. They also offer quantity discounts and occasional sales. I would not hesitate to buy any product from Bulletproof. This is my pick if I only wish to buy one bottle at a time.

The CEO for KetoMCT Oil replied to my inquiry email in less than 24 hours. Dr. Alvin Berger – MS, Ph. D, Prof. and CEO of SCIADONICS – is a lipid nutritionist and biochemist with 30 year’s experience. Dr. Berger says they distinguish their product by offering travel sizes as well as technical, nutritional, and clinical guidance. I liked the fact they they list over 50 MCT research studies on their web site. Also, the ability to get a quantity discount is mighty tempting to this daily user. They also offered a 20% discount on Black Friday (2018) for anyone on their email mailing list. This is the lowest price option if you buy for the entire year on Black Friday.

Real Food Expeditors MiCkey T™ Eight™ Pure C-8 Caprylic Acid works as advertised for me. I have been using it for over a year and don’t notice any difference from the other brands. I missed out on MiCkey T™ Eight™ for months because I couldn’t find much about it online other than the Amazon sales page. But then I got to know founder, Doug Long and found him to provide stellar customer service. You can read the Amazon reviews to see further verification.

The CEO from CLEAN MCT got right back to me when I requested information. I have not yet had the opportunity to try CLEAN MCT, but it looks like a likely pricing disruptor. They also offer Clean MCT Powder. Levi Leon told me in an email that it is “made from the same pure C8 oil and using gum acacia as the binder.” He says, “Clean MCT Powder has ZERO net carbs, as gum acacia is 100% fiber.” Other MCT powders may use maltodextrin. Levi says the powder has a “creamy consistency to it that when used in coffee, gives it a nice consistency.”

Really, the winner is the consumer because all of the brands appear to have excellent products.

Summary

Just to help make it real, I received the following text this afternoon: “…lost 8 pounds so far. This the 14th day I had bulletproof coffee.” The sender just began using MiCkey T™ Eight™ in his coffee two weeks ago.

Learn exactly how he did it [HERE].

MCTs don’t readily get stored as fat in the body. 98-99% get burned for energy.
It would take 18 tablespoons of coconut or palm oil to get the equivalent one tablespoon of pure C8.
Certificates of Analysis are available from some bottlers, but it isn’t required that they be made available.
The largest point of contention seems to be over how the oil is extracted from the plant. Some extraction processes involve the use of toxic chemicals as a solvent. Bulletproof® says their process doesn’t use chemical solvents. I’m not sure what process the other brands use.
There’s a process called supercritical carbon dioxide that can extract oil without using chemical solvents. I was not able to confirm if any of the C8 manufacturers reviewed in this post use that process.
The only brand available on Amazon in glass bottles is CLEAN MCT.
My current choice is MiCkey T™ Eight™.