Abstract
AbstractTuna fish oil contains 25–30 % docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and is one of the richest sources of DHA. The present paper investigates the enrichment of DHA by selective esterification of fatty acids obtained from hydrolysis of tuna fish oil catalyzed by Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL). The fatty acid mixture obtained after hydrolysis of tuna fish oil, referred to as tuna‐FFA contained 26 % DHA. For purification/concentration of DHA in free fatty acids, selective esterification of the fatty acid mixtures with butanol was carried out using ROL in a water‐organic solvent system. The best reaction parameters found in this study were pH 7, temperature 35 °C, agitation speed 800 rpm and a fatty acid to solvent (iso‐octane) ratio of 1:1.32 (w/v). Also, the effects of other parameters such as type of alcohol, type of enzyme, alcohol to fatty acid ratio, enzyme to fatty acid ratio were studied to determine the most suitable reaction conditions. Exactly 76.2 % of tuna‐FFA was esterified in 24 h, under the most suitable reaction conditions and the DHA content in the fatty acid fraction rose from 26 to 86.9 % with 80 % recovery of DHA, after selective esterification. The DHA content of fatty acids in butyl esters was found to be 13.6 %.
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