Utilization of acid oils in making valuable fatty products by microbial lipase technology

Microbial lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis, esterification, and alcoholysis reactions were carried out on acid oils of commerce such as coconut, soybean, mustard, sunflower, and rice bran for the purpose of making fatty acids and various monohydric alcohol esters of fatty acids of the acid oils. Neutral glycerides of the acid oils were hydrolyzed byCanadida cylindracea lipase almost completely within 48 h. Acid oils were converted into fatty acid esters of short- and long-chain alcohols like C₄, C₈, C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₆, and C₁₈ in high yields by simultaneous esterification and alcoholysis reactions withMucor miehei lipase as catalyst. Acid oils of commerce can be utilized as raw materials in making fatty acids and fatty acid esters using lipase-catalyzed methodologies.     

Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of hydroxy stearates and their properties

Hydroxy fatty acid (HFA) esters of long-chain alcohols, such as hydroxy stearates, have potential applications from lubricants to cosmetics. These esters were synthesized enzymatically to overcome the problems associated with chemical processes. An immobilized lipase, Rhizomucor miehei, was employed as catalyst in the esterification reaction between hydroxy-stearic acid as a source of HFA and monohydric fatty alcohols (C₈–C₁₈). The yields of esters were in the range of 82–90% by conducting the reactions at 65±2°C, 2–5 mm Hg pressure, and 10% lipase concentration. The products were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy, and some of their analytical characteristics were determined.     

Enzymatic synthesis of medium‐chain triacylglycerols by alcoholysis and interesterification of copra oil using a crude papain lipase preparation

We have examined the possibility of producing analogs of medium‐chain triglycerides (MCT) from copra oil, i.e. a triacylglycerol mixture with a high content of medium‐chain fatty acid moieties (C₆–C₁₀). A two‐step enzymatic process was used in which copra triacylglycerols were first split with papain lipase by alcoholysis with an alkyl alcohol and then subjected to interesterification with the alkyl esters recovered using papain lipase. Effects of temperature, water activity content, substrate ratio, biocatalyst amount, and alcohol chain length were also investigated. On the one hand, the sn‐3 stereoselectivity of the lipase in the alcoholysis of copra oil with butanol has permitted a direct enrichment of caproic, caprylic and capric moieties in the synthesized butyl esters. Thus, in the batch reactor, the reaction led to about 31% conversion of the oil after 24 h, and the content of C₆–C₁₀ acids in the synthesized esters increased from about 16% in the starting oil to almost 42%. A similar enzymatic alcoholysis in a packed‐bed column bioreactor gave 31% conversion of the oil after 120 min of reactor residence time. The reaction was also very selective because the C₆–C₁₀ fatty acyl groups represented about half of the newly formed butyl esters, whereas they accounted for only 16% of total fatty acids in the starting oil. On the other hand, the transesterification of the alkyl esters recovered (highly enriched in C₆–C₁₀ fatty acyl groups) with native copra oil directly led to an increase in the content of MCT in the oil, from 18 mol‐% at the beginning of the reaction to 61 mol‐% of MCT after a time period of 72 h in the batch reactor.     

Fatty Acid Specificity of Candida cylindracea Lipase

Candida cylindracea lipase (SIGMA) was tested against triglycerides (TG) and wax esters (WE) of marine origin as substrates. Under the same conditions, wax esters were hydrolysed at a lower rate than the triglycerides. The C₁₄ to C₁₈ saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were preferentially hydrolysed whereas the longer chain monoenes (20:1 and 22:1) and particularly the polyunsaturated fatty acids (18:4,20:5 and 22:6) were resistant to the hydrolysis in triglycerides as well as in wax esters. No specificity was demonstrated for the fatty alcohols in the wax esters.     

Medium-chain fatty acid-rich glycerides by chemical and lipase-catalyzed polyester-monoester interchange reaction

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) that contain caprylic acid (C_8:0) and capric acid (C_10:0) have immense medicinal and nutritional importance. Coconut oil can be used as a starting raw material for the production of MCT. The process, based on the interchange reaction between triglycerides and methyl esters of medium-chain fatty acids by chemical catalyst (sodium methoxide) or lipase (Mucor miehei) catalyst, appears to be technically feasible. Coconut oils with 25–28.3% (w/w) and 22.1–25% (w/w) medium-chain fatty acids have been obtained by chemical and lipase-catalyzed interchange reactions. Coconut olein has also been modified with C_8:0 and C_10:0 fatty acids, individually as well as with their mixtures, by chemical and lipase-catalyzed interchange reactions. Coconut olein is a better raw material than coconut oil for production of mediumchain fatty acid-rich triglyceride products by both chemical and lipase-catalyzed processes.     

Additive effects of acyl-binding site mutations on the fatty acid selectivity of Rhizopus delemar lipase

The fatty acid specificity and pH dependence of triacylglycerol hydrolysis by the Rhizopus delemar lipase acylbinding site mutant Val206Thr+Phe95Asp (Val, valine; Thr, threonine; Phe, phenylalanine; Asp, aspartic acid) were characterized. The activity of the double mutant prolipase was reduced by as much as 10-fold, compared to the wild-type prolipase. However, the fatty acid specificity profile of the enzyme was markedly sharpened and was dependent on the pH of the substrate emulsion. At neutral pH, strong preference (10-fold or greater) for hydrolysis of triacylglycerols of medium-chainlength fatty acids (C_8:0 to C_14:0) was displayed by the variant prolipase, with no hydrolysis of triacylglycerols of short-chain fatty acids (C_4:0 to C_6:0) and little activity manifested toward fatty acids with 16 or more carbons. At acidic pH values, the fatty acid selectivity profile of the double mutant prolipase expanded to include short-chain triacylglycerols (C_4:0, C_6:0). When assayed against a triacylglycerol mixture of tributyrin, tricaprylin and triolein, the Val206Thr+Phe95Asp prolipase displayed a high selectivity for caprylic acid and released this fatty acid at least 25-fold more efficiently than the others present in the substrate mixture. When presented a mixture of nine fatty acid methyl esters, the wild-type prolipase showed a broad substrate specificity profile, hydrolyzing the various methyl esters to a similar extent. Contrastingly, the double mutant prolipase displayed a narrowed substrate specificity profile, hydrolyzing caprylic methyl ester at nearly wild-type levels, while its activity against the other methyl esters examined was 2.5- to 5-fold lower then that observed for the wild-type enzyme.     

n-Hexyl Laurate and Fourteen Related Fatty Acid Esters: New Secretory Compounds from the Julid Millipede, Anaulaciulus sp.

A total of fifteen saturated fatty acid esters were newly identified from the secretions of an unidentified Anaulaciulus sp. (Julida: Julidae). The fatty acid components of the esters were composed of normal chain acids (from C₁₀ to C₁₄) and of branched chain acids (from iso-C₁₂ to iso-C₁₅ and anteiso-C₁₅). The alcohol moieties were all composed of normal chain alcohols varying from n-butanol to n-octanol. The most abundant component found in the total esters was n-hexyl laurate (64.7%). Novel compounds identified from the millipede secretion extracts include six branched iso- and anteiso-fatty esters, an odd-numbered C₁₁-fatty acid ester, a C₁₃-fatty acid ester, and a C₇-alcohol ester, all of which were previously undescribed natural products. In addition, a characteristic mixture of benzoquinones, such as 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, 2-methoxy-3-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, 2,3-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone, 2-methoxy-6-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone, and 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone were identified from the secretions, together with trace amounts of 1,4-benzoquinone.     

Two-step enzymatic synthesis of docosahexaenoic acid-rich symmetrically structured triacylglycerols via 2-monoacylglycerols

Symmetrically structured triacylglycerols (TG) rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with caprylic acid (CA) at the outer positions were synthesized enzymatically form bonito oil in a two-step process: (i) ethanolysis of bonito oil TG to 2-monoacylglycerols (2-MG) and fatty acid ethyl esters, and (ii) reesterification of 2-MG with ethyl caprylate. Ethanolysis catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase (Novozym 435) yielded 92.5% 2-MG with 43.5% DHA content in 2 h. The 2-MG formed were reesterified with ethyl caprylate by immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase (Lipozyme IM) to give structured TG with 44.9% DHA content [based on fatty acid composition with caprylic acid (CA) excluded] in 1 h. The final structured lipids comprised 85.3% TG with two CA residues and one original fatty acid residue, 13% TG with one CA residue and two original fatty acid residues, and 1.7% tricaprylolglycerol (weight percent). The amount of TG with two CA residues and one C₂₂ residue (22∶6=DHA, 22∶5, and 22∶4) was 51 wt%. The 1,3-dicapryloyl-2-docosahexaenoylglycerol to 1,2(2,3)-dicapryloyl-3 (1)-docosahexaenoylglycerol ratio (based on high-performance liquid chromatography peak area percentages) was greater than 50∶1. The recovery of TG as structured lipids after silica gel column purification was approximately 71%. Ethyl esters and 2-MG formed at 2 h of ethanolysis could be used to determine the positional distribution of fatty acids in the intial TG owing to the high 1,3-regiospecificity of Novozym 435 and the reduced acyl migration in the system.     

Jojoba oil wax esters and derived fatty acids and alcohols: Gas chromatographic analyses

HCl-catalyzed ethanolysis followed by saponification readily surmounts the resistance of long chain wax esters to direct hydrolysis by alkali. Additionally, choosing ethyl instead of methyl esters allows baseline separations between long-chain alcohols and corresponding esters in gas liquid chromatographic (GLC) analysis of total alcohol and acid components before saponification. Liquid wax esters were analyzed on a temperature-programmed 3% OV-1 silicone column. Geographical and genetic effects on the variability of jojoba oil composition were investigated with five different seed samples. Major constituents in jojoba seed oil from shrubs in the Arizona deserts, as indicated by GLC analyses of oil, ethanolysis product, isolated fatty alcohols and methyl esters of isolated fatty acids, were C₄₀ wax ester 30%, C₄₂ wax ester 50% and C₄₄ wax ester 10%; octadecenoic acid 6%; eicosenoic acid 35%, docosenoic acid 7%, eicosenol 22%, docosenol 21% and tetracosenol 4%. Oil from smaller leaved prostrate plants growing along California’s oceanside showed a slight tendency toward higher molecular size than oils from the California desert and Arizona specimens. The wax esters are made up of a dispro-portionately large amount of docosenyl eicosenoate and are not a random combination of constituent acids and alcohols.Lunaria annua synthetic wax ester oil was used as a model for evaluating the analytical procedures. Presented at the AOCS Meeting, Chicago, September 1970 No. Utiliz, Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.     

Fatty Acid Composition in Ergosteryl Esters and Triglycerides from the Fungus Ganoderma lucidum

Free and esterified ergosterols are detected almost solely in fungi and are often employed as a biomarker of living fungi. In this work, the fatty acid composition and δ¹³C values of major fatty acids in triglycerides and ergosteryl esters from the fungus Ganoderma lucidum were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometer and gas chromatography–isotopic ratio mass spectrometer, respectively. The results showed that the fatty acid profiles varied in triglycerides and ergosteryl esters. The percentage of saturated fatty acids in ergosteryl esters was remarkably higher than that in triglycerides, where C_18:1^Δ9c was the predominant fatty acid and constituted 61.26 % of the total fatty acids. In contrast, C_16:0 was the predominant fatty acid and constituted 71.88 % of the total fatty acids in ergosteryl esters. The study suggests that, after fungal death, free ergosterols in the cell membrane of the dead fungus were esterified with preferentially saturated fatty acids, mainly C_16:0, from triglycerides and then stored in lipid particles for a longer period while free ergosterol markedly decreased. The δ¹³C values of C_16:0, C_18:0, C_18:1 and C_18:2 in ergosteryl esters exhibit a pronounced depletion in ¹³C compared with that in triglycerides within the range of ?1.3 to ?0.9 ‰, supporting the above inference. It is again suggested that free ergosterol in the cell membrane should be used as an indicator of living fungi, and ergosteryl esters in the lipid particles should not be included in the measurement of living fungal biomass.     

Production of branched-chain fatty acids from sterculia oil

Methyl sterculate was rearranged by use of 0.5% of rhodium catalyst to isomeric conjugated diene fatty acid methyl esters containing both methylene-and methyl-branched isomers. The rearanged products were hydrogenated directly to saturated, methyl-substituted, branched-chain fatty acid methyl esters with the methyl substituent at one of the positions formerly occupied by the cyclopropenoid ring. The crude branched-chain fatty acids from these esters were purified by recrystallization from a mixed solvent of ethanol and water (80:20, v/v) and flash distillation; the product contained about 90% of branched-chain fatty acids (C₁₉:80%, C₁₈:10%). Esters of the branched-chain fatty acid were prepared with 2-ethylhexyl alcohol or trimethylolpropane, and the characteristic properties of these esters were investigated. The branched-chain fatty esters appear to have potential utility in lubricants; other uses may be possible. Presented at the AOCS meeting in New Orleans, May 1981.     

Some physical properties of castor oil esters and hydrogenated castor oil esters

Esters of castor oil and hydrogenated castor oil were prepared with C₆, C₁₂, C₁₆, C₁₈ fatty acids, using tetra‐n‐butyl titanate as a catalyst and n‐butyl benzene as a water entrainer. Physical properties such as melting point, refractive index, viscosity, and specific gravity of these esters were measured. Slip melting points of the esters were very low in both cases. These esters did not crystallize even at low temperature. The highest slip melting point obtained was 21 °C with stearoyl hydrogenated castor oil ester and lowest slip melting point obtained was —6 °C with hexanoyl castor oil ester.     

Polyunsaturated fatty glyceride syntheses by microbial lipases

The degree of glyceride syntheses by lipase TOYO (Chromobacterium viscosum) and lipase OF (Candida cylindracea) using individual free fatty acids C_18∶1, C_18∶2, C_18∶3, C_18∶4, C_20∶4, C_20∶5 and C_22∶6 were compared. Lipase TOYO incorporated each of the fatty acids into glycerol at levels of greater than 89%. Lipase OF incorporated most of the fatty acids at levels above 70% (docosahexaenoic acid incorporation was 63%). It was concluded that these two lipases are feasible for producing glycerides from unsaturated fatty acids.     

Studies on the enzymatic synthesis of lipophilic derivatives of natural antioxidants

The esterification of some natural antioxidants such as cinnamic acid derivatives and ascorbic acid in non-aqueous media, catalyzed by immobilized lipases from Candida antarctica and Rhizomucor miehei, was investigated. The alcohol chain length affected the rate of esterification of cinnamic acids by both lipases. Higher reaction rates were observed when the esterification was carried out with medium- or long-chain alcohols. The rate also depended on aromatic acid structure. The reactivity of the carboxylic function of the cinnamic acids was affected by electron-donating substituents in the aromatic ring. Higher yields were observed for the esterification of p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (97%) catalyzed by C. antarctica lipase and for the esterification of cinnamic acid (59%) catalyzed by R. miehei lipase. Candida antarctica lipase was more suitable for producing ascorbic acid fatty esters, catalyzing with a relatively high yield (up to 65% within 24 h) the regioselective esterification of ascorbic acid with various fatty acids in 2-methyl-2-propanol. The reaction rate and yield depended on the fatty acid chain length and on the molar ratio of reactants. All ascorbic acid fatty esters produced by this procedure exhibited a significant antioxidant activity in a micellar substrate composed of linoleic acid.     

Enzymatic synthesis of position-specific low-calorie structured lipids

An immobilized sn-1,3-specific lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (IM 60) was used to catalyze the interesterification of tristearin (C_18:0) and tricaprin (C_10:0) to produce low-calorie structured lipids (SL). Acceptable product yields were obtained from a 1:1 mole ratio of both triacylglycerols with 10% (w/w of reactants) of IM 60 in 3 mL hexane. The SL molecular species, based on total carbon number, were 44.2% C₄₁ and 40.5% C₄₉, with 3.8 and 11.5% unreacted tristearin C₅₇ and tricaprin C₂₇, respectively, remaining in the product mixture. The best yield of C₄₁ species (44.3%) was obtained with zero added water. Tricaprylin (C_8:0) was also successfully interesterified with tristearin in good yields at 1:1 mole ratio. Products were analyzed by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with an evaporative light-scattering detector. Reaction parameters, such as substrate mole ratio, enzyme load, time course, added water, reaction media, and enzyme reuse, were also investigated. Hydrolysis by pancreatic lipase revealed the specific fatty acids present at the sn-1,3 positions of SL. Biocatalysis Symposium Paper, presented at the AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, Seattle, Washington. May 11–14, 1997.     

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis of disaccharide fatty acid esters

A novel enzymatic method for the synthesis of disaccharide fatty acid esters was developed with immobilizedMucor miehei lipase (Lipozyme IM-60; Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) as a catalyst. A range of lactose and maltose monoesters was prepared in overall yields of 48–77% from the corresponding sugar acetals and fatty acids.     

Metathese ungesättigter Fettsäureester – ein einfacher Zugang zu langkettigen Dicarbonsäuren

Metathesis of Unsaturated Fatty Acid Esters – a Simple Approach to Long-Chained Dicarboxylic Acids Long-chained, symmetric unsaturated C₁₈-, C₂₀- und C₂₆-dicarboxylic acid esters are easily accessible from natural fatty acid esters by metathesis in a two-step procedure. In the first step unsaturated fatty acid esters are cleaved by metathesis with ethylene. Pure oleic acid ester or fatty acid methylesters, produced from high-oleic sunflower oil or from rapeseed oil by transesterification with methanol, are converted to 1-decene and 9-decenoic acid methylester. From erucic acid methylester 1-decene and 13-tetradecenoic acid methylester are achieved. Using our newly developed high efficient catalytic system B₂O₃-Re₂O₇/Al₂O₃-SiO₂ + SnBu₄ conversion rates of 86 – 96% are obtained and the terminally unsaturated fatty acid esters are isolated in yields of 61 – 83%. In the second step 9-decenoic and 13-tetradecenoic acid methylester as well as 10-undecenoic methylester, which is commercially obtained by pyrolysis of ricinoleic acid ester, are converted to 9-octadecenedioic-, 13-hexacosenedioic- and 10-eicosenedioic acid dimethylester, by which process ethylene is eliminated. The conversion rates are 89 – 99% and the dicarboxylic acid dimethylesters are isolated in yields of 77 – 84%.     

Lipase specificity toward some acetylenic and olefinic alcohols in the esterification of pentanoic and stearic acids

The esterification of five medium- and long-chain acetylenic alcohols (2-nonyn-1-ol, 10-undecyn-1-ol, 6-octadecyn-1-ol, 9-octadecyn-1-ol, and 13-docosyn-1-ol), seven olefinic alcohols (cis-3-nonen-1-ol, 10-undecen-1-ol, cis-6-octadecen-1-ol, cis-9-octadecen-1-ol, trans-9-octadecen-1-ol, trans-9, trans-11-octadecadien-1-ol, cis-9, cis-12-octadecadien-1-ol), and four short-chain unsaturated alcohols (allyl alcohol, 3-butyn-1-ol, 3-pentyn-1-ol, and cis-2-penten-1-ol) with pentanoic or stearic acid in the presence of various lipase preparations was studied. With the exception of 2-nonyn-1-ol, where Lipase AY-30 (Candida rugosa) was used as the biocatalyst, the esterification of C₁₁, C₁₈, and C₂₂ acetylenic alcohols with pentanoic acid appeared to be generally unaffected by the presence of an acetylenic bond in the alcohol as relatively high yields of the corresponding esters (78–97%) were obtained. However, medium- and long-chain olefinic alcohols were discriminated by Lipase AY-30, Lipolase 100T (Rhizomucor miehei), and especially by porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL), when esterification was conducted with pentanoic acid. Esterification of medium-and long-chain acetylenic or olefinic alcohols with a long-chain fatty acid, stearic acid, was very efficient except when Lipase AY-30 and Lipolase 100T were used. Short-chain unsaturated alcohols were much more readily discriminated. 3-Pentyn-1-ol and 3-butyn-1-ol were difficult (<5% yield) to esterify with pentanoic or stearic acid in the presence of Lipase AY-30 and PPL, respectively. Very low yields (<26%) of esters were produced when 3-butyn-1-ol and 3-pentyn-1-ol were reacted with pentanoic or stearic acid, when catalyzed by lipase from Candida cylindracea, No reaction took place between 3-butyn-1-ol and stearic acid in the presence of Lipase AY-30. Esterification of short-chain acetylenic and olefinic alcohols was most efficiently achieved with Lipolase 100T (Rhizomucor miehei), Lipozyme IM20 (Rh. miehei), or Novozyme 435 (Candida antarctica) as the biocatalyst.     

Enzymatic synthesis of fatty alcohol esters by alcoholysis

Lipase-catalyzed conversions of some minor oils and fats like mowrah (Madhuca latifolia), mango (Mangifera indica) kernel, and sal (Shorea robusta) fats into low, medium, and high molecular weight alcohol esters have been investigated. In solvent-free medium, alcoholysis of the above-mentioned fats with 10% (w/w) Mucor miehei lipase produced alcohol esters in good yield. The percentage molar conversions of C₄, C₈, C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄, C₁₆, C₁₈, and C_18:1 alcohols into corresponding alcohol esters ranged from 86.8 to 99.2, while the percentage molar conversions on the basis of oil were in the range of 108.0 to 123.5.     

Glyceride structure ofCardamine impatiens L. Seed oil

A group of unusual triglycerides, in which one of the acyl groups is a vicinal dihydroxy acid with one of the hydroxyl groups acetylated, has been isolated fromCardamine impatiens L. (Cruciferae) seed oil. Hydrolysis of these triglycerides with castor bean lipase facilitated isolation and identification of a mixture of C₁₈, C₂₀, C₂₂, and C₂₄ hydroxy acetoxy fatty acids. Pancreatic lipase hydrolysis data revealed that these monoacetylated dihydroxy acid residues are esterified exclusively with one of the α-positions of the glycerol moiety. The remaining acyl groups are comprised of ordinary C₁₈ unsaturated acids (which occupy 98% of the β-position), palmitic acid, and C₂₀, C₂₂, and C₂₄ monoenoic fatty acids. No. Utiliz. Res. Dev. Div., ARS, USDA.