Production and Characterization of DHA and GLA‐Enriched Structured Lipid from Palm Olein for Infant Formula Use

Abstract

AbstractPalm olein was modified via lipase‐catalyzed acidolysis reaction to obtain fatty acid composition and positional distribution similar to human milk fat. In the reaction, a free fatty acid mix containing 23.23 % docosahexaenoic (DHA), 31.42 % gamma‐linolenic (GLA), and 15.12 % palmitic acid was employed. The DHA and GLA were incorporated into the structured lipid (SL) product to improve its nutritional value. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to investigate the effects of reaction time and substrate mole ratio (palm olein to a free fatty acid mix) on the amount of palmitic acid at the sn‐2 position of SL triacyglycerols (TAG), and on the total DHA and GLA incorporation. Gram‐scale production of SL was performed using the conditions predicted by RSM to maximize the content of palmitic acid at the sn‐2 position. Verification of the predictions from RSM confirmed its practical utility. The resulting SL had 35.11 % palmitic acid at the sn‐2 position, with 3.75 % DHA and 5.03 % GLA. Differential scanning calorimetry and HPLC analyses of the TAG revealed changes in their polymorphic profiles and TAG molecular species of SL compared to palm olein. The SL from this study can potentially be used in infant formula formulations.