Lipase‐mediated hydrolysis of flax seed oil for selective enrichment of α‐linolenic acid

Abstract

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are important ingredients of human diet because of their prominent role in the function of human brain, eye and kidney. α‐Linolenic acid (ALA), a C18, n‐3 PUFA is a precursor of long chain PUFA in humans. Commercial lipases of Candida rugosa, Pseudomonas cepacea, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Rhizomucor miehei were used for hydrolysis of flax seed oil. Reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography followed by gas chromatography showed that the purified oil contained 12 triacylglycerols (TAGs) with differences in fatty acid compositions. Flax seed oil TAGs contained α‐linolenic acid (50%) as a major fatty acid while palmitic, oleic, linoleic made up rest of the portion. Among the four commercial lipases C. rugosa has preference for ALA, and that ALA was enriched in free fatty acids. C. rugosa lipase mediated hydrolysis of the TAGs resulted in a fatty acid mixture that was enriched in α‐linolenic to about 72% yield that could be further enriched to 80% yield by selective removal of saturated fatty acids by urea complexation. Such purified ALA can be used for preparation of ALA‐enriched glycerides. Practical applications: This methodology allows purifying ALA from fatty acid mixture obtained from flax seed oil by urea complexation.

Esterification of Free Fatty Acids Derived from Waste Cooking Oil with Octanol: Process Optimization and Kinetic Modeling

“…The successful hydrolysis of oils and lipids using lipases has been already established in the literature 19–22. Candida rugosa lipase was employed in the present study to convert the triglycerides (WCO) into FFA.…”

Preparation of PUFA concentrates as acylglycerols via enzymatic hydrolysis of hempseed oil (Cannabis sativa L.) in a homogeneous low‐water medium

“…3.1.1.3) that are the most widely used enzymes for biocatalytic applications . Lipase‐catalyzed transformations of oils are being performed in a wide range of reaction media . Among these, the biphasic system consisting of isooctane/buffer is the most frequently employed in order to increase solubility of non‐polar substrates .…”

Enrichment process for α‐linolenic acid from silkworm pupae oil

“…Extensive research has shown that increased consumption of long‐chain omega‐3 PUFA (n‐3 LCPUFAs), i.e., α‐linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and DHA, could lower the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and arthritis . ALA (C18:3, ω‐3), an essential fatty acid in the human diet and a principal n‐3 LCPUFA present in food and medicine, can effectively prevent a variety of diseases such as cardiovascular, hypertensive, inflammatory, and autoimmune disorders, depression, and certain disrupted neurological functions . Recently, the PUFAs of the desilked silkworm ( Bombyx mori L.) pupae oil were identified as a good source of ALA , which have attracted considerable attention for pharmaceutical and dietary purposes.…”

“…The enrichment of n‐3 LCPUFAs has frequently been reported, including the purification of PUFAs by selective inclusion in guanidinium‐1,5‐naphthalenedisulphonate‐2‐methoxyethanol host networks , the enrichment of γ‐linolenic acid from plant oil by low temperature crystallization and improved fractional crystallization , the preparation of LCPUFAs by enzymatic acidolysis , the fractionation of polyunsaturated and hydroxy fatty acids by urea inclusion , and the purification of PUFAs by preparative column chromatography . These enrichment methods used to obtain PUFA‐rich fractions from natural oils are mostly associated with the number of double bonds and the degree of unsaturation in the carbon chain .…”