Enzymatic Glycerolysis of Palm and Palm Kernel Oils

Glycerolysis of palm and palm kernel oils were carried out using commercial lipases from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) and Mucor miehei (Novozym 388) as catalyst (500 units lipase/g oil) at 40°C and with an oil:glycerol molar ratio of 1:2 in a solvent-free system. Novozym 435 catalyzed the glycerolysis of palm and palm kernel oils giving reaction products in similar compositions. Partial acylglycerols contents of the glycerolysis products obtained from palm and palm kernel oils were 64% (wt) and 66% (wt), respectively. However, partial acylglycerols contents of the glycerolysis products obtained from palm and palm kernel oils conducted with Novozym 388 as catalyst at the same conditions were 44% (wt) and 56% (wt), respectively. On the other hand, free fatty acid contents of the glycerolysis products of palm and palm kernel oils obtained using Novozym 388 were higher, 25–30% (wt), than those obtained by Novozym 435, 4–5% (wt). The monoacylglycerols fraction with the highest content of oleic acid, 62.7% (wt), was obtained from the palm kernel oil glycerolysis reaction catalyzed by Novozym 435.