PRODUCTION OF ADDED-VALUE LIPIDS USING ENZYMATIC-REACTIONS

The biotechnological possibilities for the production of added-value lipids are shown. Hydrolysis of oils using triacylglycerol lipases under mild conditions yield, for example, heat-labile polyunsaturated fatty acids. Esterification catalyzed by triacylglycerol lipases leads to products, such as monoacylglycerols and a wide variety of esters. Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of erucic acid-rich oils or esterification of fatty acids derived from such oils with very long-chain alcohols yield wax esters. Transesterification of fats with regiospecific lipases enable the preparation of fats that resemble cocoa butter or medium-chain triacylglycerols of definite structure. Selective hydrolysis or transesterification of erucic acid-rich oils using regioselective lipases may possibly permit to enrich the erucic acid that occurs almost exclusively at the sn-1,3-positions of triacylglycerols. Similarly, using fatty acid specific lipases gamma-linolenic acid can be enriched from evening primrose oil or borage oil, docosahexaenoic acid from fish oils, and petroselinic acid from coriander oil. Hydrolysis, transesterification or base exchange of phospholipids using phospholipases offer interesting scope for the preparation of phospholipids of definite composition,