Abstract
Algal oil, rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and an environmentally sustainable source of ω‐3 fatty acids, is receiving increasing attention. In the present study, a novel approach combining ethanolysis with a 1,3‐specific immobilized lipase (Lipozyme® TL IM) and molecular distillation was investigated to increase the DHA content of algal oil. Algal oil with a 45.94% DHA content was mixed with ethanol, pumped into a column filled with Lipozyme® TL IM, and then circulated for 4 hr at room temperature. The ethanol was then recycled by vacuum distillation. At an evaporator temperature of 150°C, the residue was separated by molecular distillation into a heavy component enriched with DHA glycerides (in the form of triglyceride (TG), diglyceride (DG), and monoglyceride (MG)) and a light component enriched with palmitic acid (PA) and DHA ethyl ester (EE). As a result, 76.55% of the DHA from the algal oil was present in the heavy component, whose DHA content was 70.27%. DHA‐MG was collected in the heavy component mostly in the form of 1‐MG. Lipozyme® TL IM appeared to specifically target PA rather than DHA at the sn‐1(3) position. The Lipozyme® TL IM allowed 90.03% of the initial DHA yield to be retained after seven reaction cycles. Therefore, an eco‐friendly and simple method for increasing the DHA content in algal oil has been developed.
Highlights
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential fatty acid with many important physiological regulatory functions
DHA, DHA-EE, DHA monoglyceride (DHA-MG), and palmitic acid (PA)-EE were purchased from Nu-chek Prep Inc. (Elysian), High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-grade acetonitrile, n-hexane, and methanol from Merck and standards of 37 fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) from Sigma-Aldrich
As saturated fatty acids were found to be located mainly at the sn-1 or sn-3 position of the glycerol backbone of TG (Table 1), they were successfully removed by enzymatic ethanolysis with Lipozyme® TL IM
Summary
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential fatty acid with many important physiological regulatory functions. Fish oil commonly contains 12% DHA and 18% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). The ethyl ester (EE) form is widely used to enrich ω-3 fatty acids in fish oil. DHA-rich algal oil has advantages over mainstream fish oil products on the market in terms of absorption rate, stability, and safety. Lipase-catalyzed reactions have been used to concentrate DHA and other n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), fish oil. Enzymatic ethanolysis has been used to convert n-3 PUFA to the corresponding EEs from low-grade fish oil feedstocks (Yan et al, 2018). The present study will use enzymatic ethanolysis techniques to avoid the large-scale use of toxic solvents This environmentally friendly approach aims to combine enzymatic ethanolysis with molecular distillation to increase the DHA content of algal oil
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