ENRICHMENT OF N-3 POLYUNSATURATED ACID IN ACYLGLYCEROLS OF MENHADEN OIL VIA LIPASE-CATALYZED REACTIONS

This work examines Lipozyme IM-20 catalyzed acidolysis and esterificat ion in n-hexane for enriching n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA ) in acylglycerols of menhaden oil, Optimal conditions for these react ions are also established. Under a circumstance in which menhaden oil is hydrolyzed for 2 h before addition of n-3 PUFA-rich fatty acids in the interesterification reaction; the triacylglycerol content in acylg lycerols is significantly higher than when menhaden oil and n-3 PUFA-r ich fatty acids are added simultaneously. The esterification of glycer ol and n-3 PUFA-rich fatty acid with an initial water content of 1 % ( w/v) and addition of 0.2 g of molecular sieve, leads to an acylglycero ls yield of 87 wt% after 24 h of reaction.