A saturated fatty acid containing eighteen carbon atoms in its molecular “backbone”; which is essentially neutral in effect on coronary heart disease in humans (i.e., doesn’t appreciably increase low-density lipoproteins in the bloodstream). Because of the heart disease neutrality, stearate-containing oils (e.g., high-stearate soybean oil) are an excellent cooking oil choice; with the resistance to oxidation/breakdown of a saturated fatty acid, but no bloodstream-cholesterol increasing effect. In the mid-1990s, the American Cocoa Research Institute/Chocolate Manufacturers Association filed a petition with America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to differentiate stearate from the other saturated long-chain fatty acids used as food ingredients.
A saturated fatty acid composed of 18 carbon atoms.
One of the fatty acids.