Production of human milk fat substitutes enriched in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids using immobilized commercial lipases and Candida parapsilosis lipase/acyltransferase

In human milk fat (HMF), palmitic acid (20–30%), the major saturated fatty acid, is mostly esterified at the sn-2 position of triacylglycerols, while unsaturated fatty acids are at the sn-1,3 positions, conversely to that occurring in vegetable oils.This study aims at the production of HMF substitutes by enzyme-catalyzed interesterification of tripalmitin with (i) oleic acid (system I) or (ii) omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFA) (system II) in solvent-free media. Interesterification activity and batch operational stability of commercial immobilized lipases from Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme RM IM), Thermomyces lanuginosa (Lipozyme TL IM) and Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) from Novozymes, DK, and Candida parapsilosis lipase/acyltransferase immobilized on Accurel MP 1000 were evaluated. After 24-h reaction at 60 °C, molar incorporation of oleic acid was about 27% for all the commercial lipases tested and 9% with C. parapsilosis enzyme. Concerning omega-3 PUFA, the highest incorporations were observed with Novozym 435 (21.6%) and Lipozyme RM IM (20%), in contrast with C. parapsilosis enzyme (8.5%) and Lipozyme TL IM (8.2%). In system I, Lipozyme RM IM maintained its activity for 10 repeated 23-h batches while for Lipozyme TL IM, Novozym 435 and C. parapsilosis enzyme, linear (half-life time, t_1/2 = 154 h), series-type (t_1/2 = 253 h) and first-order (t_1/2 = 34.5 h) deactivations were respectively observed. In system II, Lipozyme RM IM showed linear deactivation (t_1/2 = 276 h), while Novozym 435 (t_1/2 = 322 h) and C. parapsilosis enzyme (t_1/2 = 127 h), presented series-type deactivation. Both activity and stability of the biocatalysts depended on the acyl donor used.     

Screening of lipases for production of novel structured lipids from single cell oils

Lipids enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids are very susceptible to oxidation, causing the formation of potentially harmful oxidized products. Hence, it is critical to keep the temperature as low as possible during reaction and storage. In this study, five commercial immobilized lipases were evaluated for their capability to produce novel structured lipids (SLs) enriched with medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) through acidolysis of single cell oil (SCO) with capric acid. Among the examined lipases, NS40086 and Lipozyme RM IM showed the highest incorporation degree. The acidolysis reactions resulted in an obvious variation in the fatty acids composition as well as their positional distribution. The obtained SLs contained (33.58 %–34.09 %) capric acid at sn-1, 3 positions with increasing the content of arachidonic acid at the sn-2 position up to (49.82 %–50.25 %). The NS40086 lipase displayed 1, 3 regiospecificity towards the TAG of SCO. The acidolysis reactions using NS40086 lipase resulted in a generation of 23 TAG molecular species containing capric acid. Moreover, the NS40086 lipase was more active than Lipozyme RM IM at relatively low temperatures (35 °C and 40 °C), which could be used effectively as a promising biocatalyst in lipid synthesis.     

Production of extremely pure diacylglycerol from soybean oil by lipase-catalyzed glycerolysis

Research work was objectively targeted to synthesize highly pure diacylglycerol (DAG) with glycerolysis of soybean oil in a solvent medium of t-butanol. Three commercial immobilized lipases (Lipozyme RM IM, Lipozyme TL IM and Novozym 435) were screened, and Novozym 435 was the best out of three candidates. Batch reaction conditions of the enzymatic glycerolysis, the substrate mass ratio, the reaction temperature and the substrate concentration, were studied. The optimal reaction conditions were achieved as 6.23:1 mass ratio of soybean oil to glycerol, 40% (w/v) of substrate concentration in t-butanol and reaction temperature of 50 °C. A two-stage molecular distillation was employed for purification of DAG from reaction products. Scale-up was attempted based on the optimized reaction conditions, 98.7% (24 h) for the conversion rate of soybean oil, 48.5% of DAG in the glycerolysis products and 96.1% for the content of DAG in the final products were taken in account as the results.     

Practical synthesis of 1,3-oleoyl 2-docosahexaenoylglycerol by lipase-catalyzed reactions: An evaluation of different reaction routes

Three new synthetic routes were critically evaluated for the lipase-catalyzed production of 1,3-oleoyl-2 docosahexaenoylglycerol (ODO) in relatively large-scale (approximately 200 g). First, the production of 1,3-diolein by the reaction of glycerol and oleic acid followed by incorporation of docosahexaenoic (DHA) ethyl ester at the sn-2 position was studied. 1,3-Diolein was produced in 68.3% and 84.6% yield when stoichiometric amounts of the substrates were reacted at 25 °C for 8 h in the presence of 10% Novozym 435 and Lipozyme RM IM, respectively. Further increase in reaction temperature and time led to decrease in the 1,3-diolein yield. However, only a 9.4% yield of triacylglycerol was obtained in the subsequent reaction step when the 1,3-diolein was reacted with DHA ethyl ester in the presence of Novozym 435. Secondly, the feasibility of direct acidolysis was studied. Acidolysis of single cell oil (SCO) in excess oleic acid using Novozym 435 as the catalyst occurred twice as fast in solvent (tert-butanol) compared to a solvent-free system, and 63% oleic acid was incorporated into SCO. However, the regio-isomeric purity of the product was poor. Finally, the ethanolysis of SCO to produce DHA-enriched 2-monoacylglycerol followed by esterification with oleic acid or ethyl oleate was investigated. ODO was obtained in 50.9% regio-purity by Lipozyme RM IM-catalyzed esterification. The latter method was the most feasible for preparing ODO in large-scale. This synthetic route could be adapted for related triacylglycerols containing highly polyunsaturated when their productions in large-scale and high regio-purity are required.     

Immobilized lipase-catalysed synthesis of cinnamyl laurate in non-aqueous media

Esters of cinnamyl alcohol find many applications in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries as flavor and fragrance compounds. The current work focuses on the synthesis of cinnamyl laurate from cinnamyl alcohol and lauric acid, including screening of various immobilized lipases and optimization of reaction conditions such as catalyst loading, speed of agitation, mole ratio and temperature. Among different lipases screened such as Novozym 435, Lipozyme RM IM and Lipozyme TL IM, Novozym 435 was found to be the best catalyst with 60% conversion in 2 h at 30 °C for equimolar quantities of the reactants using 0.33% (w/v) of catalyst and toluene as solvent. An ordered bi–bi mechanism with dead-end complex of lauric acid was found to represent the kinetic data.     

Mono-thioesters and di-thioesters by lipase-catalyzed reactions of α,ω-alkanedithiols with palmitic acid or its methyl ester

1-S-Mono-palmitoyl-hexanedithiol and 1-S-mono-palmitoyl-octanedithiol were prepared in high yield (80–90%) by solvent-free lipase-catalyzed thioesterification of palmitic acid with the corresponding ,-alkanedithiols in vacuo. Similarly, 1,6-di-S-palmitoyl-hexanedithiol and 1,8-di-S-palmitoyl-octanedithiol were prepared in moderate yield (50–60%) by solvent-free lipase-catalyzed thioesterification of palmitic acid with 1-S-Mono-palmitoyl-hexanedithiol and 1-S-mono-palmitoyl-octanedithiol, respectively. An immobilized lipase preparation from Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme RM IM) was more effective than a lipase B preparation from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) or a lipase preparation from Thermomyces lanuginosus (Lipozyme TL IM). Lipase-catalyzed transthioesterifications of methyl palmitate with ,-alkanedithiols using the same enzymes were less effective than thioesterification for the preparation of the corresponding 1-S-mono-palmitoyl thioesters.Dedicated to Professor Dr Helmut K. Mangold, former Executive Director, Federal Centre for Lipid Research, Institute for Biochemistry and Technology, Münster, Germany, on the occasion of his 80th birthday on 19 June 2004     

Improved high-pressure enzymatic biodiesel batch synthesis in near-critical carbon dioxide

The enzymatic synthesis of biodiesel by a high-pressure semi-continuous process in near-critical carbon dioxide (NcCO(2)) was studied. Biodiesel synthesis was evaluated in both batch and semi-continuous systems to develop an effective process. Batch processing demonstrated the advantageous properties of NcCO(2) as an alternative reaction medium. Three immobilized lipases (Novozym 435, Lipozyme RM IM, and Lipozyme TL IM from Novozymes) were tested, with Lipozyme TL IM the most effective, showing the highest conversion. Biodiesel conversion from several edible and non-edible oil feedstocks reached >92%. Higher conversion (99.0%) was obtained in a shorter time by employing repeated batch processes with optimized conditions: 44.3 g (500 mM) canola oil, a substrate molar ratio (methanol:oil) of 3:1, an enzyme loading of 20 wt% (of the oil used), at 30 °C, 100 bar, and 300 rpm agitation. The enzyme maintained 80.2% of its initial stability after being reused eight times. These results suggest that this method produces biodiesel energy-efficiently and environment-friendly.     

Different enzyme requirements for the synthesis of biodiesel: Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL IM

Enzymatic syntheses of biodiesel via alcoholysis of different vegetable oils (sunflower, borage, olive and soybean) have been studied. Loss of lipase activity induced by the nucleophile is greater with methanol than with ethanol, and is greater for Lipozyme TL IM than for Novozym 435. The optimum volume of ethanol depends on the loading of solid biocatalyst and is higher for preparations of Novozym 435 than for Lipozyme TL IM. Maximum rates were obtained with Lipozyme TL IM, for a molar ratio of alcohol to FA residues of 0.33. By contrast, Novozym 435 requires at least a 2:1 ratio. Alcoholysis of the vegetable oils is faster with Lipozyme TL IM than with Novozym 435. Use of a high loading of Novozym 435 (50% w/w) and a large molar excess of ethanol are required to obtain an initial rate similar to that obtained with Lipozyme TL IM at a lower enzyme loading (10% w/w) and an equimolar ratio of ethanol and FA residues. Novozym 435 produces quantitative conversions in only 7h at 25 degrees C, but complete conversions are not obtained with Lipozyme TL IM. Three stage stepwise addition of ethanol yields 84% conversion to ethyl esters for Lipozyme TL IM. Hence use of Novozym 435 is preferred. After nine cycles in a batch reactor Novozym 435 retained 85% of its initial activity.     

Structured triacylglycerols resembling human milk fat by transesterification catalyzed by papaya (Carica papaya) latex

Structured triacylglycerols resembling human milk fat, that contain palmitoyl (16:0) moieties predominantly at the sn-2- position of the glycerol backbone and oleoyl (18:1) and linoleoyl (18:2) moieties at the sn-1,3-positions, have been prepared by regiospecific transesterification of tripalmitin with fatty acids of low-erucic rapeseed oil using a plant lipase – papaya latex – and for comparison Lipozyme, as biocatalyst. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Response surface modeling of 1-stearoyl-3(2)-oleoyl glycerol production in a pilot packed-bed immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase reactor

A dual response approach using diacylglycerol (DAG) and triacylglycerol (TAG) as responses for optimization of 1-stearoyl-3(2)-oleoyl glycerol-enriched DAG synthesis using response surface methodology (RSM) was investigated. Four variables from a lipase-catalyzed esterification reaction were optimized using a central composite rotatable design. The following optimized conditions yielded 51 wt.% DAG and 22 wt.% TAG: reaction temperature of 55 °C, enzyme dosage of 9.5 wt.%, fatty acid/glycerol molar ratio of 2.1 and reaction time of 3 h. Results were repeatable at 10 kg production scale in a pilot packed-bed enzyme reactor. No significant losses in enzyme activity or changes in fatty acid selectivity on DAG synthesis were observed during the five pilot productions. Lipozyme RM IM showed selectivity towards the production of stearic acid enriched DAG. The purity of DAG oil after purification was 90 wt.%.     

Production of diacylglycerols from glycerol monooleate and ethyl oleate through free and immobilized lipase-catalyzed consecutive reactions

The ability of free and immobilized lipase on the production of diacylglycerols (DAG) by transesterification of glycerol monooleate (GMO) and ethyl oleate was investigated. Among three free lipases such as lipase G (Penicillium cyclopium), lipase AK (Pseudomonas fluorescens) and lipase PS (Pseudomonas cepacia), lipase PS exhibited the highest DAG productivity, and the DAG content gradually increased up to 24 hours reaction and then remained steady. The comparative result for DAG productivity between free lipase PS and immobilized lipases (lipase PS-D and Lipozyme RM IM) during nine times of 24 hours reaction indicated that total DAG production was higher in immobilized lipase PS-D (183.5mM) and Lipozyme RM IM (309.5mM) than free lipase PS (122.0mM) at the first reaction, and that the DAG production rate was reduced by consecutive reactions, in which more sn-1,3-DAG was synthesized than sn-1,2-DAG. During the consecutive reactions, the activity of lipase PS was relatively steady by showing similar DAG content, whereas DAG production of lipase PS-D and Lipozyme RM IM was gradually decreased to 69.9 and 167.1mM at 9th reaction, respectively, resulting in 62% and 46% reduced production when compared with 1st reaction. Interestingly, from 7th reaction lipase PS produced more DAG than immobilized lipase PS-D, and exhibited a stable activity for DAG production. Therefore, the present study suggested that DAG productivity between GMO and ethyl oleate was higher in immobilized lipases than free lipases, but the activity was reduced with repeated uses.     

固定化脂肪酶催化毛棉籽油制备生物柴油

研究了固定化脂肪酶Lipozyme TL IM和Novozym435催化毛棉籽油和乙酸甲酯制备生物柴油的过程。通过向反应体系中添加甲醇,可减少乙酸的抑制,明显提高生物柴油得率,确定最佳反应条件为:正己烷作溶剂,乙酸甲酯与油摩尔比9:1,添加油重3%的甲醇、油重10%的LipozymeTLIM和5%的Novozym435复合使用,温度55°C,反应8h,生物柴油得率达到91.83%。最后探索了酶催化毛棉籽油合成生物柴油的动力学,得到动力学方程。     

Conversion of Soybean Oil to Biodiesel Fuel Using Lipozyme TL IM in a Solvent-free Medium

The conversion of soybean oil to biodiesel fuel was investigated in the presence of a lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (commercially called Lipozyme TL IM) in a solvent-free medium. The lipase was inactivated when more than 1.5 molar equivalent of methanol was added to the oil mixture. To fully convert the oil to its corresponding methyl esters, the reaction was performed successfully by a three-step addition of 1 molar equivalent of methanol and under the optimized conditions (40°C, 150 rpm, 10% enzyme quantity based on oil weight), the maximum methyl ester (ME) yield was 98% after 12 h reaction. By-product glycerol had a negative effect on enzymatic activity and iso-propanol was found to be effective for glycerol removal, in the presence of which lipase expressed relatively high activity and more than 94% of the ME yield was maintained after being used repeatedly for 15 batches.     

Biocatalysed synthesis of sn-1,3-diacylglycerol oil from extra virgin olive oil

Enzymatic synthesis of sn-1,3-diacylglycerols (sn-1,3-DAG) in two steps without isolation of the intermediates was investigated. Firstly ethanolysis of extra virgin olive oil (EVO) using immobilized non-regiospecific lipase from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) was carried out to obtain glycerol (Gly) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE). In the second step the ethanolysis products have been re-esterificated testing different sn-1,3-regiospecific lipases, both immobilized and non-immobilized, in different reaction media, that is in the presence of solvents or in a solvent-free system, for different times, at different temperatures (12, 25 and 40 °C). The lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme IM) has been the most effective among the sn-1,3-specific lipases screened.     

Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of rapeseed oils for biodiesel production with a novel organic solvent as the reaction medium

tert-Butanol, as a novel reaction medium, has been adopted for lipase-catalyzed transesterification of rapeseed oil for biodiesel production, with which both the negative effects caused by excessive methanol and by-product glycerol could be eliminated. Combined use of Lipozyme TL IM and Novozym 435 was proposed further to catalyze the methanolysis and the highest biodiesel yield of 95% could be achieved under the optimum conditions (tert-butanol/oil volume ratio 1:1; methanol/oil molar ratio 4:1; 3% Lipozyme TL IM and 1% Novozym 435 based on the oil weight; temperature 35 °C; 130 rpm, 12 h). There was no obvious loss in lipase activity even after being repeatedly used for 200 cycles with tert-butanol as the reaction medium. Furthermore, waste oil was also explored for biodiesel production and it has been found that lipase also showed good stability in this novel system.     

Optimization and kinetic study on the synthesis of palm oil ester using Lipozyme TL IM

Enzymatic synthesis of palm oil esters (POE) was carried out via alcoholysis of palm oil (PO) and oleyl alcohol (OA) catalyzed by Lipozyme TL IM. The optimum reaction conditions were: temperature: 60 °C; enzyme load: 24.7 wt%; substrate ratio: 1:3 (PO/OA), impeller speed: 275 rpm and reaction time: 3 h. At the optimum condition, the conversion of POE was 79.54%. Reusability study showed that Lipozyme TL IM could be used for 5 cycles with conversion above 50%. The alcoholysis reaction kinetic follows the Ping-Pong Bi-Bi mechanism characterized by the V_max, K_m(PO), and K_m(OA) values of 32.7 mmol/min, 0.3147 mmol/ml and 0.9483 mmol/ml, respectively. The relationship between initial reaction rate and temperature was also established based on the Arrhenius law.     

Effects on metabolic markers are modified by PPARG2 and COX2 polymorphisms in infants randomized to fish oil

Long-chain n-3 fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) improve blood pressure (BP) and lipid profile in adults and improve insulin sensitivity in rodents. We have previously shown that n-3 LCPUFA reduces BP and plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) in infants. Few studies have found effects on glucose homeostasis in humans. We explored possible effect modification by FADS, PPARG2, and COX2 genotypes to support potential effects of n-3 LCPUFA on metabolic markers in infants. Danish infants (133) were randomly allocated to daily supplementation with a teaspoon (~5 mL/day) of fish oil (FO) or sunflower oil (SO) from 9 to 18 months of age. Before and after the intervention, we assessed BP, erythrocyte n-3 LCPUFA, plasma lipid profile, insulin, and glucose in addition to functional single nucleotide polymorphisms in FADS, PPARG2, and COX2. At 18 months, plasma TAG was lower in the FO compared with SO group (p = 0.014). This effect was modified by PPARG2-Pro12Ala, as TAG only decreased among heterozygotes. FO supplemented PPARG2 Pro12Ala heterozygotes also had decreased plasma glucose compared with the SO group (p = 0.043). The effect of FO on mean arterial BP at 18 months was gender dependent (p = 0.020) and reduced in boys only (p = 0.028). Diastolic BP was, however, lower among all FO supplemented homozygous COX2-T8473C variant allele carriers compared with the SO group (p = 0.001). In conclusion, our results confirm that FO supplementation in late infancy reduces TAG and BP and indicates that the effects are mediated via peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ and cyclooxygenase-2. Furthermore, FO reduced plasma glucose only in PPARG2 heterozygotes.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12263-014-0396-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Conversion of Soybean Oil to Biodiesel Fuel Using Lipozyme TL IM in a Solvent-free Medium

The conversion of soybean oil to biodiesel fuel was investigated in the presence of a lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (commercially called Lipozyme TL IM) in a solvent-free medium. The lipase was inactivated when more than 1.5 molar equivalent of methanol was added to the oil mixture. To fully convert the oil to its corresponding methyl esters, the reaction was performed successfully by a three-step addition of 1 molar equivalent of methanol and under the optimized conditions (40°C, 150 rpm, 10% enzyme quantity based on oil weight), the maximum methyl ester (ME) yield was 98% after 12 h reaction. By-product glycerol had a negative effect on enzymatic activity and iso-propanol was found to be effective for glycerol removal, in the presence of which lipase expressed relatively high activity and more than 94% of the ME yield was maintained after being used repeatedly for 15 batches.     

Combined Treatments Reduce Chilling Injury and Maintain Fruit Quality in Avocado Fruit during Cold Quarantine

Quarantine treatment enables export of avocado fruit (Persea americana) to parts of the world that enforce quarantine against fruit fly. The recommended cold-based quarantine treatment (storage at 1.1°C for 14 days) was studied with two commercial avocado cultivars ‘Hass’ and ‘Ettinger’ for 2 years. Chilling injuries (CIs) are prevalent in the avocado fruit after cold-quarantine treatment. Hence, we examined the effect of integrating several treatments: modified atmosphere (MA; fruit covered with perforated polyethylene bags), methyl jasmonate (MJ; fruit dipped in 2.5 μM MJ for Hass or 10 μM MJ for Ettinger for 30 s), 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP; fruit treated with 300 ppb 1-MCP for 18 h) and low-temperature conditioning (LTC; a gradual decrease in temperature over 3 days) on CI reduction during cold quarantine. Avocado fruit stored at 1°C suffered from severe CI, lipid peroxidation, and increased expression of chilling-responsive genes of fruit peel. The combined therapeutic treatments alleviated CI in cold-quarantined fruit to the level in fruit stored at commercial temperature (5°C). A successful therapeutic treatment was developed to protect ‘Hass’ and ‘Ettinger’ avocado fruit during cold quarantine against fruit fly, while maintaining fruit quality. Subsequently, treated fruit stored at 1°C had a longer shelf life and less decay than the fruit stored at 5°C. This therapeutic treatment could potentially enable the export of avocado fruit to all quarantine-enforcing countries. Similar methods might be applicable to other types of fruit that require cold quarantine.     

Optimization of medium chain length fatty acid incorporation into olive oil catalyzed by immobilized Lip2 from Yarrowia lipolytica

Triacylglycerols (TAG) enriched with medium chain fatty acids (M) present specific nutritional, energetic and pharmaceutical properties. Structured lipids (SL) were produced by acidolysis between virgin olive oil and caprylic (C8:0) or capric (C10:0) acids in solvent-free media, catalyzed by the main extracellular lipase from Yarrowia lipolytica lipase 2 (YLL2), immobilized in Accurel MP 1000. Response surface methodology was used for modeling and optimization of the reaction conditions catalyzed by immobilized YLL2. Central composite rotatable designs were performed as a function of the reaction time (2.5–49.5 h) and the molar ratio of medium chain fatty acid/TAG (MR; 0.6–7.4), for both acids, and also of temperature (32–48 ̊C) for C8:0 experiments. As for capric acid, the incorporation of caprylic acid in olive oil showed not to depend of the temperature, within the tested range. The response surfaces, fitted to the experimental data, were described by a first-order polynomial equation, for C8:0 incorporation, and by a second-order polynomial equation for C10:0 incorporation. Under optimized conditions (48 h reaction at 40 ̊C, with a molar ratio of 2:1 M/TAG) the highest incorporation was reached for C8:0 (25.6 mol%) and C10:0 (21.3 mol%).