Concentration of Stearidonic Acid in Free Fatty Acids Form from Modified Soybean Oil by Selective Esterification with Dodecanol

The concentration of stearidonic acid (SDA, 18:4 n-3) in free fatty acids (FFA) formed by selective esterification with dodecanol (lauryl alcohol) was studied. For this purpose, modified soybean oil (initial SDA content, ~23 %) was converted into its corresponding FFA by chemical hydrolysis. In a second step, the resulting FFA were esterified with dodecanol. Process variables such as the type of biocatalyst (lipase), substrate molar ratio and amount of lipase were evaluated. The best SDA concentration (58 %) and recovery (94 %) were attained by performing the esterification reaction for 4 h, with 1:1 molar ratio (dodecanol:FFA), and 5 % (w/w) Candida rugosa lipase as biocatalyst. It was observed that SDA was concentrated in the unesterified fraction.