Enzyme‐assisted acidolysis of menhaden and seal blubber oils with γ‐linolenic acid

Abstract

AbstractOils containing both n−3 and n−6 fatty acids have important clinical and nutritional applications. Lipase‐catalyzed acidolysis of seal blubber (SBO) and menhaden oils (MO) with γ‐linolenic acid (GLA) was carried out in hexane. The process variables studied for lipase‐catalyzed reaction were concentration of enzyme (100–700 units/g of oil), reaction temperature (30–60°C), reaction time (0–48 h), and mole ratio of GLA to triacylglycerols (TAG) (1∶1 to 5∶1). Two lipases chosen for acidolysis reaction were from Pseudomonas species (PS‐30) and Mucor miehei. Lipase PS‐30 was chosen over Mucor (also known as Rhizomucor) miehei to catalyze the acidolysis reaction owing to higher incorporation of GLA. For the acidolysis reaction, optimal conditions were a 3∶1 mole ratio of GLA to TAG, reaction temperature of 40°C, reaction time of 24 h, and an enzyme concentration of 500 units/g of oil. Under these conditions, incorporation of GLA was 37.1% for SBO and 39.6% for MO.