Hydrolysis of olive oil with lipase in a “VibroMixer”

Abstract

Hydrolysis of olive oil in i-octane with Candida cylindracea lipase in aqueous solution was performed in a VibroMixer reactor. The kinetic data were interpreted by the interfacial reaction model, whose rate was controlled by the desorption of the product as shown in a previous study of the Lewis-type transfer cell. The desorption rate constant of the product and the equilibrium constant of the reaction between lipase and olive oil were evaluated using the adsorption parameters of lipase. The desorption rate constant was 1.3 × 10 3 mol/m 2h, which was about 3 × 10 3 times greater than that observed in the Lewis cell. The desorption rate was suspected to be facilitated by the repeated dispersion and coalescence of the oil phase. The equilibrium constant of the interfacial reaction was nearly of the same order as that obtained in the Lewis cell.