Abstract
Argan oil is rich in long-chain unsaturated fatty acids (FA), mostly oleic and linoleic, and natural antioxidants. This study addresses the production of low-calorie structured lipids by acidolysis reaction, in a solvent-free system, between caprylic (C8:0; system I) or capric (C10:0; system II) acids and argan oil, used as triacylglycerol (TAG) source. Three commercial immobilized lipases were tested: Novozym® 435, Lipozyme® TL IM, and Lipozyme® RM IM. Higher incorporation degree (ID) was achieved when C10:0 was used as acyl donor, for all the lipases tested. Lipozyme® RM IM yielded the highest ID for both systems (28.9 ± 0.05 mol.% C10:0, and 11.4 ± 2.2 mol.% C8:0), being the only catalyst able to incorporate C8:0 under the reaction conditions for biocatalyst screening (molar ratio 2:1 FA/TAG and 55 °C). The optimal conditions for Lipozyme® RM IM in system II were found by response surface methodology (66 °C; molar ratio FA/TAG of 4:1), enabling to reach an ID of 40.9 mol.% of C10:0. Operational stability of Lipozyme® RM IM in system II was also evaluated under optimal conditions, after eight consecutive 24 h-batches, with biocatalyst rehydration between cycles. The biocatalyst presented a half-life time of 103 h.
Highlights
IntroductionPublisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
The fatty acid composition of argan oil used in this study is presented in Table 1, as well as the reference values following the Moroccan norm (N.M. 08.5.090), established for edible virgin argan oil
The fatty acid profile of argan oil used in the present study fulfils the requirements established by the Moroccan norm
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Lipids are important diet constituents due to their high energy value and essential fatty acid content, being involved in crucial mechanisms such as cell signalling and hormonal regulation [1]. Triacylglycerols (TAG), the main lipid components of dietary fat, consist of a glycerol backbone linked to three fatty acids. Depending on their structure and composition, they present distinct characteristics such as melting behaviour, digestion, absorption, and metabolic properties [2,3]
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