Interesterification and synthesis by Candida cylindracea lipase in microemulsions

Unusual reactions of interesterification and synthesis catalyzed by Candida cylindracea lipase have been tested in reverse microemulsions. The microemulsions used are made of fatty acids or triglycerides, the enzyme dissolved in a very low water quantity, Brij 35 used as surfactant and an alcoholic cosurfactant. In such a system, fats and alcohols are both the substrates of the enzyme and the microemulsion components. Incidentally, non specific Candida cylindracea lipase does not catalyze interesterification of short chain triglycerides, revealing a specificity for the chain length. Interesterification reactions tested in the presence of a given water quantity but with varying water activities show that it is the water activity and not the water quantity which is a fundamental parameter of the system. The effect of the surfactant (Brij 35) on the interesterification reaction is studied. Heptyl-oleate synthesis catalyzed by non-specific lipase is obtained in microemulsions at a 98% yield. Synthesis of glycerol esters is also tested in monophasic medium and mono and diglycerides are obtained.     

Transesterification reaction between medium- and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides using surfactant-modified lipase

Transesterification between medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides (MCT) and long-chain fatty acid triglycerides (LCT) in a nonsolvent system was investigated using surfactant modified lipase which is a complex of lipase, Rhizopus japonicus and surfactant, sorbitan monostearate. 74% conversion of was obtained after a 48-h reaction period, and the triglyceride composition was well described by the 1, 3-random 2-random stochastic model. The transesterification reaction between MCT and LCT closely followed the simple kinetic model, and the change in MCT and LCT contents could be simulated using one parameter. The effects of the water activity (A(w)) of modified lipase, the water content of the reaction system and the reaction temperature on the reaction rate were studied. A modified lipase A(w) of 0.35 and a water content of the reaction system at 0.09 wt % showed the highest activity. Inactivation did not occur below 60 degrees C, however, the activity decreased at temperatures over 70 degrees C.     

Production of high-oleic acid tallow fractions using lipase-catalyzed directed interesterification, using both batch and continuous processing

Immobilized lipases were used to catalyze batch-directed interesterification of tallow, resulting in oleins containing significantly higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids than obtained by fractionation without lipase. After 14 days, a reaction catalyzed by 2% Novozym 435 yielded 57% olein unsaturation, compared with 45% in a no-enzyme control. Free fatty acid levels increased to 2-3% during reactions. Incubation of the enzyme in multiple batches of melted fat caused a gradual loss of interesterification activity, apparently due to progressive dehydration. The activity could be restored by addition of water to the reaction medium. Immobilized lipase was also used to catalyze directed interesterification in a continuous flow reactor. Melted tallow was circulated through a packed bed enzyme reactor and a separate crystallization vessel. The temperatures of the two parts of the apparatus were controlled separately to allow crystallization to occur separately from interesterification. Operation of the reactor with conventionally dry, prefractionated tallow allowed the formation of an olein consisting of up to 60% unsaturated fatty acids. The greatest changes in olein fatty acid composition were achieved when the fractionation temperature was kept constant at a value that promoted selective crystallization of trisaturated triglycerides that were continuously produced by enzymic interesterification. The enzyme could be reused without apparent loss of activity, and its activity was apparently enhanced by preincubation in melted tallow for up to several days. Control of both the water activity of the enzyme and tallow feedstock and of the absorption of atmospheric water vapor were required to maintain enzyme activity, during multiple reuse and minimize free fatty acid formation. This method may form the basis for a process to produce highly mono-unsaturated tallow fractions for use in food applications (e.g. frying) where a "healthy" low saturated fat product is required.     

Interesterification of phosphatidylcholine with lipases in organic media

Summary Lipases were investigated with respect to their ability to catalyse the incorporation of fatty acids into phosphatidylcholine (PC) by interesterification reactions. The enzymes were dried onto solid support materials and the conversions were carried out in water-saturated toluene. Three lipases (two fungal and one plant enzyme) had the desired activity; immobilized lipase from Mucor miehei (Lipozyme) was the most active enzyme. The Lipozyme-catalysed interesterification was selective for the sn-1 position of PC and during 48 h of reaction around 50% of the fatty acids in this position were replaced with heptadecanoic acid, a fatty acid which was practically absent in the original phospholipid. Due to adsorption on the support material and the competing hydrolysis reaction the total amount of PC in the reaction solution decreased to about 40% of the original amount. Higher interesterification rates were obtained with free fatty acids as acyl donors than with fatty acid esters. Offprint requests to: I. Svensson     

Kinetic modeling of interesterification reactions catalyzed by immobilized lipase

Kinetic data for lipase-catalyzed interesterification reactions between free fatty acids and triglycerides were collected and the dynamics of the interesterification reactions were successfully modeled using tow rate experssions requiring a total of five adjustable parameters. One rate expression describes the disappearance of the free fatty acid (octanoic or linolenic acid), and the second describes the rate of release of fatty acid residues from the triglycerides (olive oil or milkfat). This model is able to account for the effects of the concentration of all chemical species participating in interesterification throughout the entire reaction. When the data for both milkfat and olive oil were subjected to nonlinear regression analyses using the same mathematical model, the parameter estimates for both systems were comparable. In addition to reproducing the tendencies observed experimentally, simulations of the interesterification system under a variety of initial conditions provided insight into the effects of several reaction variables which could not be examined experimentally. Among the most significant findings of the simulation work are (1) there is a limit beyond which increasing the initial concentration of water produces no further increase in the initial rate of the interesterification reaction; (2) an increase in the initial concentration of lower glycerides produces a concomitant increase in the rate of the interesterification reaction; (3) the free fatty acids inhibit the rate of hydrolysis of the fatty acid residues of the triglycerides; (4) there is a limit beyond which increasing the initial concentration of triglycerides produces no significant increase in the rate of either the hydrolysis reaction or the interesterification reaction. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the performance of a hollow-fiber bioreactor for acidolysis catalyzed by immobilized lipase

The present communication describes the chemical modification of anhydrous butterfat by interesterification with oleic acid catalyzed by a lipase of Mucor javanicus. Two reactor configurations were tested, a batch-stirred tank reactor containing suspended lipase and a batch-stirred tank reactor in combination with a hollow-fiber membrane module containing adsorbed lipase. The goal of this research was to assess the advantage of using a (hydrophobic) porous support to immobilize the lipase in attempts to engineer butterfat with increased levels of unsaturated fatty acid residues (oleic acid) at the expense of medium-to-long chain saturated fatty acids (myristic and palmitic acids). Reactions were carried out at 40 degrees C in the absence of solvent under controlled water activity, and were monitored by chromatographic assays for free fatty acids. The results obtained indicate that the rate of interesterification using the proposed reactor configuration is enhanced by a factor above 100 relative to that using suspended lipase, for the same protein mass basis. Although hydrolysis of butterfat occurred to some degree, the enzymatic process that uses the hollow-fiber reactor was technically superior to the stirred tank system. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Small-angle X-ray scattering analysis of stearic acid modified lipase

Stearic acid modified lipase (from Rhizopus japonicus) exhibited remarkable interesterification activity in n-hexane, but crude native lipase did not. The structure of the fatty acid modified lipase had not been analyzed until now. We analyzed the modified lipase by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements in order to clarify the structure. SAXS measurements showed that the modified lipase consisted of a lipid lamellar structure and implied that the lipase was incorporated into the lamellar structure of stearic acid. The long spacings in the lamellar structures of the modified lipase and stearic acid were measured.     

Covalent immobilization of lipase in organic solvents

Lipase from Rhizopus sp. has been immobilized covalently on tresyl activated silica. Three different coupling media were evaluated: aqueous buffer, n-hexane, and a microemulsion based on n-hexane, aqueous buffer, and the nonionic surfactant triethylene glycol monododecyl ether. In addition, coupling via a very long, hydrophilic spacer arm, polyethylene glycol 1500 (PEG 1500), was compared with attachment to the silica via a short silane bridge only. The enzyme preparations were tested in hydrolysis and transesterification reactions. In the hydrolysis no marked differences in activity were found between the coupling media used. In the transesterification, on the other hand, the choice of immobilization medium had a very large effect on lipase activity, the preparation from microemulsion being the most active one. The use of the hydrophilic spacer had a large effect on activity in the hydrolysis reaction. Whereas direct coupling gave an activity of immobilized lipase of 26-34% of that of free enzyme, depending on the reaction medium, lipase bound via the spacer exhibited 56-67% activity. The latter values are considerably higher than previously reported in the literature for covalently immobilized lipase. The hydrophilic spacer had no effect on enzyme activity in the transesterification, however, a fact which is attributed to the hydrophobic medium of this reaction. The spacer is incompatible with the reaction medium and will, therefore, adsorb on the particles rather than stretch out into the bulk phase. The stability of the bound lipase was extremely good, no loss in activity being observed after a period of three weeks in aqueous solution of 37 degrees C.     

Esterification reactions catalyzed by Chromobacterium viscosum lipase in CTAB-based microemulsion systems

Chromobacterium viscosum (CV) lipase solubilized in water-in-oil (w/o) microemulsions based on the cationic surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) have been used for multigram-scale ester synthesis, including the kinetic resolution of a secondary alcohol. The stability of CV lipase in all the CTAB microemulsions studied was excellent and was superior to that observed in aqueous buffer at the same pH and temperature. Kinetic studies were performed using the synthesis of ethylhexadecanoate as a model reaction. Under pseudo-first-order conditions, the synthesis rates were linearlydependent on the enzyme and fatty acid concentrations and the R dependence shows the characteristic bell-shaped curve (where R = [H(2)O]/[surfactant]). The dependence of enzyme activity toward octyldecanoate synthesis on the pH of the dispersed buffer phase is in marked contrast to that observed for the pH dependence of CV lipase toward p-nitrophenylbutyrate hydrolysis. In the former case, the pH-activity profile is approximately sigmoidal, which may reflect the ionization state of the fatty acid substrate. In the latter case, the pH dependence is minimal at both R = 10 and R = 50, suggesting the enzyme does not experience a changed pH environment. Inclusion of a pH-sensitive probe molecule into those incubations containing fatty acid clearly demonstrates that the probe molecule experiences a changed environment consistent with that expected for the selected buffer. An in situ Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance (FT-NMR) assay has been developed which allows continuous monitoring of the esterification reactions, thereby providing an additional means of determining initial rates. The method may be of general value for lipase assays in microemulsions since it may provide, at the same time, information regarding enzyme regioselectivity. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of several factors on soluble lipase-mediated biodiesel preparation in the biphasic aqueous-oil systems

Biodiesel is increasingly perceived as an important component of solutions to the important current issues of fossil fuel shortages and environmental pollution. Utilization of soluble lipase offers an alternative approach to lipase-catalyzed biodiesel production using immobilized enzyme or whole-cell catalysis. Soluble lipase NS81020, produced by submerged fermentation of genetically modified Aspergillus oryzae microorganism, was first proposed here as the catalyst of biodiesel preparation with oleic acid in the biphasic aqueous-oil systems. The effect factors such as enzyme concentration, water content, temperature, molar ratio of methanol to oil, stirring rate and pH of buffer solution on the esterification rate were investigated systematically. The reaction time could be shortened with the increasing of enzyme concentration as long as the maximum enzyme absorptive capacity on the interface in the biphasic aqueous-oil systems was not achieved. The optimal water content in the biphasic aqueous-oil systems was 10 wt% by oleic acid weight. The reaction rate was enhanced with the increasing molar ratio of methanol to oil, the increasing stirring rate or the decreasing temperature. Although soluble lipase NS81020 had lower activity at pH 10.55, hydroxyl ion conduced to restrain hydrolysis of methyl ester and facilitated the reaction toward the methyl ester formation.     

Immobilization of lipase for effective interesterification of fats and oils in organic solvent

In order to investigate quantitatively the interesterification reaction, triolein and stearic acid were used as substrates and eight commercially available lipases were tested for their suitability for the reaction. Three fungal lipase preparations were found to be suitable. The hydrolytic activity of the commercial lipases was tested with olive oil, and it 2was noted that there was no correlation between their hydrolytic and interesterification activities. Among the lipases tested, Mucor miehei lipase was chosen for further study because of it high protein content and its relatively high hydrolytic and interesterification activities, both of which are required for effective interesterification. The effect of water activity of the interesterification reaction was investigated. interesterification activity was shown to be maximum at the water activity of 0.25. As the water activity of the lipase increased, hydrolysis of triglyceride was accelerated. At zero water activity, high conversion was achieved, although interesterification activity was relatively lower than that at the water activity of 0.25. A new and simple immobilization method was developed in order to render hydrophobicity to the lipase and hence to improve the interesterification activity of the lipase. The lipase was immobilized covalently with glutaraldehyde or with six alkyl chains as spacers onto Florisil (magnesium silicate, a inorganic matrix). Interesterification activity of the immobilized lipase with the hydrophobic spacers were increased against that of re lipase. The increase of activity was up to 8-fold that of the original activity of free lipase when the spacer was 7-aminoheptanoic acids. Relatively high stability of the immobilized lipase was shown in a continuous packed bed column reactor with a half-life of 97 days. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Hydrolysis of butteroil by immobilized lipase using a hollow-fiber reactor: part II. Uniresponse kinetic studies

A lipase from Aspergillus niger immobilized by adsorption on microporous, polypropylene hollow fibers was used to effect the hydrolysis of the glycerides of melted butterfat at 40 degrees C and pH 7.0. Mcllvane buffer was pumped through the lumen and melted butterfat was pumped courrently through the shell side of a shell-and-tube reactor. Nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters of three nested rate expressions derived from a Ping Pong Bi Bi enzymatic mechanism coupled with three nested rate expressions for the thermal deactivation of the enzyme. For the reaction conditions used in this research, a four-parameter rate expression (which includes a two-parameter deactivation rate expression and a two-parameter hydrolysis rate expression) is sufficient to model the overall release of free fatty acids from the triglycerides of butterfat as a function of space time and time elapsed after immobilization. At a space time of 3.7 h immediately after immobilization of lipase, 50% of the fatty acid residues esterified in the sn-1,3 positions of the triglycerides can be released in the hollow-fiber reactor.     

Continuous hydrolysis of olive oil by immobilized lipase in organic solvent

Lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) from Candida rugosa was immobilized with DEAE-Sephadex A50, Sephadex G50, Sephadex LH-20, Amberlite IRA94, and Amberlite XAD-7. The enzye immobilized with DEAE-Sephadex A50 was found to be most effective for continuous hydrolysis of olive oil in isooctane. For the continuous reaction, 0.2 g of dry immobilized enzyme was swollen with predetermined amount of water, and packed in a glass column reactor. When the organic solvent (Isooctane) containing olive oil substrate was cocurrently fed with aqueous buffer, the two phases were evenly distributed throughout the packed bed without surfactant supplement or prior mixing of the two phases. A small amount of the surfactant (AOT) was used only in packing procedure, and no additional surfactant was necessary thereafter. Effects of initial water content of the swollen gel, buffer types, and strength were examined in the continuous reaction. Our results suggest that the operational half-life was affected by desorption of the bound enzyme. Under the conditions of 20% olive oil in isooctane and 25 mM triethanolamine buffer (pH 7.0), operational half life was 220 h at 30 degrees C. The reactor was also operable with n-hexane, but the operational stability of the immobilized enzyme in n-hexane was only half of that in isooctane. Our results indicate that various enzyme carrier having hydrophilic or amphiphilic properties could be used for two-phase continuous reaction in packed-bed column, reactor without any surfactant supply or prior dispersion of the two immiscible phases. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Enzymatic interesterification of triglyceride with surfactant-coated lipase in organic media

Several surfactant-coated enzymes have been prepared by coating lipases of various origins with a nonionic surfactant, glutamic acid dioleylester ribitol (2C(18)Delta(9)GE). Enzymatic interesterification of tripalmitin with oleic acid using the surfactant-coated lipase was carried out in organic media. The surfactant-coated lipases could effectively catalyze the interesterification of glycerides better than did the powder lipases. A suitable organic solvent was an aliphatic hydrocarbon such as isooctane. The enzymatic activity for the interesterification strongly depended on the origin of the lipase. The surfactant-coated lipase prepared by Mucor javanicus showed the highest enzymatic activity for the interesterification of glycerides, although its powder lipase did not show enzymatic activity. Selective interesterification of glycerides could be performed by adjusting the concentration ratio of oleic acid to tripalmitin in isooctane. Di-substituted glyceride could be selectively produced when the concentration ratio of carboxylic acid to glycerides was 7. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Resolution of d,l-menthol by interesterification with triacetin using the free and immobilized lipase of Candida cylindracea

Summary Interesterification in isooctane with triacetin as an acyl donor was found to be a new and effective method of racemic resolution of d,l-menthol, when using the free and immobilized lipase of Candida cylindracea. No water was produced by this highly stereoselective type of reaction in contrast to ester synthesis with acetic acid as an acyl donor. Even with diacetin no possible back reaction occurred and the enzyme was easily separated from the reaction solution as opposed to ester hydrolysis in aqueous systems. Inhibition of interesterification was caused by increasing concentrations of the acyl donor triacetin by more than 10 mmol·l^-1 on the one hand, and especially by diacetin on the other hand. The reaction product menthyl acetate had no influence. By adding water the interesterification activity of the lipase was reduced significantly. An alteration of the acyl donor triacetin to longerchained triglycerides caused changes in higher specific activities but poor enantioselectivities of the products, as in the case of ester synthesis starting from longer-chained organic acids.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Fritz Wagner on the occasion of his 60th birthday     

Enzymic interesterification of fats: Factors influencing the choice of support for immobilized lipase

Three grades of diatomaceous earth (Celite 560, Filtercel and Hyflo Supercel) and a controlled-pore silica have been examined for their suitability as support materials for lipase (triacyglycerol acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) catalysing the interesterification of fats. The controlled-pore silica gave a preparation with a low activity. Although all three Celites gave preparations with similar lipolytic activities, Hyflo Supercel gave the highest interesterification activity. The distribution of enzyme protein in Hyflo Supercel was examined by transmission electron microscopy.     

Substrate specificity of a lipase preparation from Geiotrichum asteroides as a function of the experimental conditions

A lipase preparation obtained from the culture fluid of the fungus Geotrichum asteroides was shown to hydrolyze natural plant oils well. Tweens and triglycerides, both soluble in water and insoluble, containing saturated fatty acids (tripalmitic, tristearic, trimyristic and tributyric) are barely hydrolyzed. The nature of the emulsifier and the composition of the buffer used in the reaction mixture exert a great influence on the lipolytic activity of G. asteroides. The optimal temperature for the enzyme preparation with respect to all the oils studied was 37 degrees C.     

Lipase catalyzed production of monoacylglycerols by the esterification of fish oil fatty acids with glycerol

In this study, we attempted the efficient production of monoacylglycerols (MAG) via the lipase-catalyzed esterification of glycerol with fatty acids obtained from sardine oil. The reaction factors that influenced MAG synthesis were the glycerol to fatty acid mole ratio, amount of enzyme, organic solvent, temperature, and the type of lipase used. Porcine pancreas lipase was selected to catalyze this reaction. The optimum conditions we determined for MAG synthesis were a glycerol to fatty acid mole ratio of 1∶6, 100 mg/mL of lipase, and 30°C in dioxane. Under these conditions, the MAG content was 68% (w/w) after 72 h of reaction. The MAGs synthesized via the lipase-catalyzed esterification of glycerol with fatty acids included monomyristin, monopamiltin, and monoolein, as identified by GCMS.     

Adipose triglyceride lipase activity is inhibited by long-chain acyl-coenzyme A

Adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) is required for efficient mobilization of triglyceride (TG) stores in adipose tissue and non-adipose tissues. Therefore, ATGL strongly determines the availability of fatty acids for metabolic reactions. ATGL activity is regulated by a complex network of lipolytic and anti-lipolytic hormones. These signals control enzyme expression and the interaction of ATGL with the regulatory proteins CGI-58 and G0S2. Up to date, it was unknown whether ATGL activity is also controlled by lipid intermediates generated during lipolysis. Here we show that ATGL activity is inhibited by long-chain acyl-CoAs in a non-competitive manner, similar as previously shown for hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), the rate-limiting enzyme for diglyceride breakdown in adipose tissue. ATGL activity is only marginally inhibited by medium-chain acyl-CoAs, diglycerides, monoglycerides, and free fatty acids. Immunoprecipitation assays revealed that acyl-CoAs do not disrupt the protein–protein interaction of ATGL and its co-activator CGI-58. Furthermore, inhibition of ATGL is independent of the presence of CGI-58 and occurs directly at the N-terminal patatin-like phospholipase domain of the enzyme. In conclusion, our results suggest that inhibition of the major lipolytic enzymes ATGL and HSL by long-chain acyl-CoAs could represent an effective feedback mechanism controlling lipolysis and protecting cells from lipotoxic concentrations of fatty acids and fatty acid-derived lipid metabolites.