Novel method for separating fatty esters from partial glycerides in biocatalytic transesterification of oils

Vegetable oil based partial glycerides have been synthesized by lipase cata lyzed transesterification of soybean and linseed oil using different primar y alcohols. A gel permeation chromatographic method has been used for monit oring the formation of partial glycerides in the transesterification step. A novel laboratory method has been developed for the separation of fatty es ters from other partial glycerides by extending the transesterification rea ction further by acryloylation/methacryloylation followed by free-radical p olymerization. The fatty esters were thus selectively separated by removing the partial glycerides as polymers. Effect of type of lipase, solvent, tem perature and substrate to nucleophile ratio in the transesterification step (step I) was also studied. The separation of butyl ester has been confirme d from the structural elucidation by H-1-NMR spectroscopy. (C) 2000 Elsevie r Science B.V. All rights reserved.