Intermediate production of mono- and diolein by an immobilized lipase from Candida antarctica

Lipase from Candida antarctica, fixed on macroporous acrylic resin, has been used for the intermediate production of mono- and diolein by hydrolysis of triolein. The effect of altering concentrations of triolein and glycerol and the function of the molecular sieve on the hydrolysis reaction of triolein were investigated. The highest hydrolysis yield was observed for the utmost concentration of triolein, which gave a hydrolysis optimum at the lower reaction time. Raising the concentration of triolein resulted in a 13.7 times increase in mono- and diolein during reaction period. Addition of glycerol to the reaction mixture had a considerably higher positive effect on the production of monolein than that of diolein. The use of a molecular sieve in the mixture was found to be the most effective environment tested, which demonstrated high activity and excellent selectivity toward the formation of intermediate monolein.