Ramelito Casado Agapay, Yi-Hsu Ju, Phuong Lan Tran-Nguyen, Suryadi Ismadji, Artik Elisa Angkawijaya, Alchris Woo Go
Different schemes in the production of structured triglycerides based on solvent-free esterification of oleic acid and palmitic acid with glycerol were evaluated in terms of reactant conversion, product composition, and yield. Two-step processes, with or without glycerol dosing, were compared with one-step versions carried out at temperature conditions within 40°C–60°C to a final oleic acid/palmitic acid/glycerol ratio of 2:1:1, the stoichiometric ratio in 1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoyl glycerol (OPO). Substantial amounts of C52 triglycerides, including OPO, were produced in all schemes at 34.98–39.55 wt.% of the total triglycerides and triglyceride yields of 50.10–56.56 wt.% based on the raw materials. The two-step process with glycerol dosing at 60°C showed the highest palmitic acid incorporation at the sn-2 position of 46.46%, but the same process carried out with a step increase in temperature from 40°C to 60°C gave the highest OPO yield at 19.30 wt.%. These results demonstrate the possibility of manipulating regioselectivity and triglyceride specificity by varying reactant feeding schemes without the use of solvents and sn-1,3-specific lipases common in conventional acidolysis-based processes. © 2020 Curtin University and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan; Taiwan Building Technology Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Can Tho University, Can Tho City, Viet Nam; Department of Chemical Engineering, Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University, Surabaya, Indonesia