Production of Structured Lipids Rich in Triacylglycerols Containing Medium-Chain Fatty Acids and Unsaturated Fatty Acids at the Sn-2 Position through Enzymatic Interesterification

Abstract

Coconut and palm oils have their own unique physical and health functionality properties. Interesterification of coconut and palm oils is expected to produce new types of lipids that combine these advantages. The triacylglycerol profile and the regions of fatty acid distribution primarily dictate the properties of lipids. This study was conducted to investigate the interesterification process of producing structured lipids using two lipase enzymes with different specificities (Novozyme 435; nonspecific and TL IM, sn-1,3-specific). The resulting structured lipids were characterized based on their triacylglycerol profile. Results demonstrated that the use of Novozyme 435 lipase generated a mixture of triacylglycerol products containing more medium-chain fatty acids at the sn-2 position, whereas the use of TL IM lipase yielded structured lipids containing more unsaturated fatty acids at the sn-2 position and a greater number of new triacylglycerols than those produced using Novozyme 435 lipase. Therefore, based on the triacylglycerol structures, the use of TL IM lipase is more potential in producing structured lipids that can be used as ingredients of functional food for easy digestion, which could be useful for reducing specific diseases and metabolic syndrome.