Monoglyceride MG has a wide function in the food industry,
in particular
as a natural emulsifier, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, antioxidant,
and antibacterial. Therefore, the production of polyol ester from
esterification of acid (OA) and glycerol was investigated. The process
optimization was performed using a Box-Behnken design, examining the
effects of temperature, molar ratio, and catalyst amount. For predicting
the optimal point, a second-order polynomial model was fitted to correlate
the relationship between independent variables and response (% MG).
The effects of temperature (100, 150, and 200 °C); catalyst amount
(4, 10, and 16% w/w); and glycerol/oleic acid ratio (1:1, 1:2, and
1:3) were investigated and found to deeply affect the reaction outcome.
At the optimal reaction conditions: 200 °C, 0.2% w/w KSF, and
a glycerol/oleic acid ratio (3:1), more than 71.8% monoglycerides
with selectivity of 80% were obtained. Confirmation experiments were
performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, and the
characterization of monoglycerides was performed using high-performance
liquid chromatography (HPLC).