An Efficient Binary Solvent Mixture for Monoacylglycerol Synthesis by Enzymatic Glycerolysis

Abstract

Abstract The present study was aimed at selecting an efficient binary solvent mixture for monoacylglycerol (MAG) synthesis by enzymatic glycerolysis of soybean oil. Solvent combinations of tert ‐butanol/isopropanol (v/v) at different ratios were studied. Of the investigated cases, tert ‐butanol:isopropanol at ratio 80:20 was the most suitable organic medium. The optimum conditions for MAG synthesis under the selected mixture were: water 10 wt% based on glycerol, Lipozyme TL IM 15 wt% based on oil and glycerol, weight ratio of solvent to oil 4:1, and molar ratio of glycerol to oil 3.5:1. Under these conditions with a 4‐h reaction, the yield of MAG was 72.0% where the triacylglycerol (TAG) content was reduced to only 1.0% (based on acylglycerols). Fatty acid ester (FAE) formation from the solvents was very low in the final product (1.3% based on reaction mixture). The selected binary solvent mixture has good physical properties with low melting point (−26.5 °C), which can avoid the risk of crystallization in practical operations.