Author
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Laszlo, Joseph |
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Compton, David - Dave |
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Submitted to: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 6/25/2006 Publication Date: 9/1/2006 Citation: Laszlo, J.A., Compton, D.L. 2006. Enzymatic glycerolysis and transesterification of vegetable oil for enhanced production of feruloylated glycerols. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 83(9):765-770. Interpretive Summary: The design of systems employing enzymes to transform vegetable oil to new products requires greater indepth knowledge of the steps involved in the transformation as some of these steps have a tremendous impact on the speed at which the transformation occurs. In the present work, we have examined the rate-limiting factor(s) in the enzymatic production of a sunscreen from soybean oil. Unexpectedly, we found that changing the chemical form of the oil can have a dramatic influence on the reaction speed. This information will help us and our industrial collaborators produce the sunscreen product in a more cost-efficient process. Technical Abstract: The transesterication kinetics of ethyl ferulate with mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols were examined. Transesterification was catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B in solventless batch and packed-bed reactors. Initial reaction rates with triglyceride were sensitive to water activity, while rates with mono- and diglycerides were water activity independent. Transesterification was also approximately four-fold faster with mono- and diglycerides. These observations indicate that the reaction is rate limited by the acyl acceptor, and that oils with free hydroxyl groups are preferred acyl acceptors in comparison with triacylglycerols. |
