EFFECT OF DIFFERENT BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS ON THE ENZYMATIC-SYNTHESISOF FRUCTOSE OLEATE

Enzymatic synthesis of sugar ester was performed using an immobilized Candida antartica lipase, fructose and oleic acid methyl ester as subs trates and 2-methyl 2-butanol as a solvent. The influence of the molar ratio sugar/acyl donor, methanol concentration and temperature on the performance of the transesterification reaction were studied. When th e molar ratio was adjusted only at the beginning of the reaction, the highest concentration of fructose oleate (16 g l(-1)) was obtained at a ratio of 1:5. When this ratio was kept constant throughout the durat ion of the reaction (by adding an excess of fructose or by continuous methyl-oleate feeding), 34 g l(-1) and 39 g l(-1), respectively, of fr uctose oleate were obtained at a molar ratio of about 1:8. The influen ce of methanol, which was a byproduct of the reaction, was also invest igated. Results indicated that this compound was a strong inhibitor of Candida antartica lipase activity. The increase of temperature from 6 0 to 80 degrees C led to an increase of sugar ester concentration. How ever, the stability of the enzyme decreased as the temperature rose. A t 80 degrees C, more than 90% of the initial activity was lost while a t 60 degrees C, at the same time, only 30% was lost.