ENRICHMENT OF VERY-LONG-CHAIN MONOUNSATURATED FATTY-ACIDS BY LIPASE-CATALYZED HYDROLYSIS AND TRANSESTERIFICATION

Partial hydrolysis of triacylglycerols of high-erucic-acid seed oils f rom white mustard (Sinapis alba), oriental mustard (Brassica juncea) a nd honesty (Lunaria annua), catalysed by lipases from Candida cylindra cea and Geotrichum candidum, leads to enrichment of erucic acid and ot her very-long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (VLCMFA) in the acylgl ycerols (mono-, di- and triacylglycerol) while the C-18 fatty acids (o leic, linoleic and linolenic) are enriched in the fatty acid fraction. Partial hydrolysis of the high-erucic-acid triacylglycerols, catalyse d by lipases from porcine pancreas, Chromobacterium viscosum, Rhizopus arrhizus and Rhizomucor miehei yields fatty acids with substantially higher levels of VLCMFA, as compared to the starting material, while t he C-18 fatty acids are enriched in the acylglycerol fraction. Lipases from Penicillium sp. and Candida antarctica are ineffective for the f ractionation of either group of fatty acids. Transesterification of th e high-erucic-acid triacylglycerols with ethyl, propyl or butyl acetat e or with n-butanol, catalysed by the lipase from R. miehei, leads to enrichment of VLCMFA in the alkyl (ethyl, propyl or butyl) esters, whe reas the C-18 fatty acids are enriched in the acetylacylglycerols and acylglycerols.