Y. Shimada et al., Continuous production of structured lipid containing gamma-linolenic and caprylic acids by immobilized Rhizopus delemar lipase, J AM OIL CH, 76(2), 1999, pp. 189-193
Production of a structured lipid containing gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) achi
eved by the continuous acidolysis of borage oil with caprylic acid (CA) usi
ng 1,3-specific Rhizopus delemar lipase as a catalyst. The lipase immobiliz
ed on a ceramic carrier was activated by feeding the borage oil/CA (1:2, w/
w) mixture saturated with water into a column packed with the enzyme. Howev
er, the generation of partial glycerides (20%) in the reaction mixture show
ed that hydrolysis occurred concomitantly with acidolysis. The concomitant
hydrolysis was completely repressed by feeding the oil/CA substrate mixture
without adding additional water. When the substrate mixture was fed at 30
degrees C and a flow rate of 4.5 mL/h into a column packed with 8 g of the
carrier with immobilized lipase, the content of CA incorporated in glycerid
es was 50 to 55 mol%. The acidolysis activity scarcely changed even though
the substrate mixture was continuously fed for 60 d; then it gradually decr
eased. The CA content in glycerides was decreased to 73% of the initial val
ue after 100 d, but returned to the initial level! when the flow rate was r
educed to 3.1 mL/h. Molecular distillation was employed to separate the tra
nsesterified oil from the reaction mixture. No glycerides were detected in
the distillate, and the transesterified oil was recovered as the residue (a
cid value, 2.6). Regiospecific analysis of the transesterified oil showed t
hat only fatty acids at the 1- and 3-positions of borage oil were exchanged
for CA. It was additionally found by highperformance liquid chromatography
analysis that all the triglycerides contained one or two CA, and that the
triglyceride with two GLA and one CA was also present, because the lipase a
cted on GLA very weakly.