Enzymatic Synthesis of Structured Lipids Enriched with Medium- and Long-Chain Triacylglycerols via Pickering Emulsion-Assisted Interfacial Catalysis: A Preliminary Exploration

Medium- and long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT), as a novel functional lipid, is valuable due to its special nutritional properties. Its low content in natural resources and inefficient synthesis during preparation have limited its practical applications. In this study, we developed an effective Pickering emulsion interfacial catalysis system (PE system) for the enzymatic synthesis of MLCT by trans-esterification. Lipase NS 40086 served simultaneously as a catalyst and a solid emulsifier to stabilize the Pickering emulsion. Benefitting from the sufficient oil-water interface, the obtained PE system exhibited outstanding catalytic efficiency, achieving 77.5% of MLCT content within 30 min, 26% higher than that of a water-free system. The Km value (0.259 mM) and activation energy (14.45 kJ mol-1) were 6.8-fold and 1.6-fold lower than those of the water-free system, respectively. The kinetic parameters as well as the molecular dynamics simulation and the tunnel analysis implied that the oil-water interface enhanced the binding between substrate and lipase and thus boosted catalytic efficiency. The conformational changes in the lipase were further explored by FT-IR. This method could give a novel strategy for enhancing lipase activity and the design of efficient catalytic systems to produce added-value lipids. This work will open a new methodology for the enzymatic synthesis of structured lipids.