ARS | Publication request: NEW USES OF VEGETABLE OILS: NOVEL OXYGENATED FATTY ACIDS BY BIOTRANSFORMATION

Submitted to: Society for Industrial Microbiology News
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: February 28, 2003
Publication Date: March 15, 2003
Citation: HOU, C.T. NEW USES OF VEGETABLE OILS: NOVEL OXYGENATED FATTY ACIDS BY BIOTRANSFORMATION. SOCIETY FOR INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY NEWS. 2003. v. 53. no. 2. p. 56-61.

Technical Abstract: In an effort to find new uses for surplus vegetable oils, we are looking for new value-added products produced from vegetable oils by bioprocesses. We have discovered many new oxygenated fatty acids produced from converting vegetable oils by microbial enzymes, which may be useful as starting materials for the synthesis of specialty chemicals, special military nylon, plastisizer, and anti-microbial agents. There are three types of hydroxy fatty acids with one, two, and three hydroxy groups. In addition, we also found many new compounds such as tetrahydrofuranyl fatty acids and diepoxy bicyclic fatty acids. All of these new products were discovered by scientists in NCAUR. Application of these new oxygenated products either as agents for anti-plant pathogenic fungi, biomedical or as high volume starting materials for the synthesis of special military nylon will benefit the US farmers.