Repeated use of immobilized lipase for monoacylglycerol production by solid-phase glycerolysis of olive oil

By using immobilized lipase for production of monoacylglycerol (MAG) by solid-phase glycerolysis of fats and oils, the enzyme could be recovered easily from the reaction mixture and recycled to reduce the cost of the catalyst. Several support materials (CaCO₃, CaSO₄·2H₂O, Ca₂P₂O₇, and Celite) were screened for immobilization of Pseudomonas sp. lipase by adsorption and tested for solid-phase glycerolysis of olive oil. Immobilization made the reuse of enzyme feasible. CaCO₃ proved to be the best support: 90% MAG (wt% in the glycerolfree reaction mixture after 72 h of reaction time) was obtained until the fifth use, 80% after the seventh use, and 60% after the tenth use. The same support was found suitable for immobilization of two other bacterial lipases from Chromobacterium viscosum and Pseudomonas pseudoalkali.