Bioimprinted Immobilization of Candida antarctica Lipase A for Concentration of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

Bioimprinting and immobilization of Candida antarctica lipase A (CALA) was optimized by response surface methodology to improve its selectivity for concentration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) by lipase-catalyzed ethanolysis of salmon oil obtained from salmon by-products. Enzyme-to-support ratio, oleic acid concentration, and immobilization time were the factors investigated. Total omega-3 PUFA lost to the ethyl esters (EE) fraction was monitored in relation to the varying levels of the factors. Results showed that the second-order polynomial model generated adequately fitted the experimental data. The most critical factor was the enzyme-to-support ratio, which led to decreased recovery of omega-3 PUFA in the glycerides fraction with increasing levels of enzyme amount. Optimum conditions were selected as follows: enzyme-to-support ratio, 0.2 (w/w); oleic acid concentration, 50 mM; immobilization time, 85 min. The total omega-3 PUFA lost to the EE fraction through ethanolysis of salmon oil decreased from 3.76 to 1.47 (mol%) under the optimum conditions.