Solid phase enzymatic glycerolysis of beef tallow resulting in a high yield of monoglyceride

A mixture of mono-, di- and triglycerides was obtained when beef tallow was reacted with glycerol using lipase enzyme as a catalyst. The reaction was carried out batchwise in a small vessel with agitation by magnetic stirring. The yield of monoglyceride (MG) was greatly influenced by the reaction temperature—at higher temperatures (48–50°C) a yield of approximately 30% MG was obtained, while at lower temperatures (38–46°C) a yield of approximately 70% MG was obtained. A sharp transition was observed between the high and low yield equilibrium states. The temperature at which this transition occurred is called the critical temperature (T_c) and was found to be 46°C in the case of tallow. During the course of the reaction, when approximately 40% MG had been synthesized, the reaction mixture became solid but the reaction continued until approximately 70% MG had been synthesized. A yield of 70% MG also was obtained with tallow at 42°C when a glycerol/tallow mole ratio ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 was used. The free fatty acid content at equilibrium depended on the water concentration in the glycerol phase and varied from 0.5% to 11.0% when the water content ranged from 0.6% to 12.5%. Above 8% water content, the yield of MG was reduced. Of the commercially available lipases that were investigated, lipase fromPseudomonas fluorescens orChromobacterium viscosum resulted in the highest yield of MG.