Production of a diacylglycerol-enriched safflower oil, Sayed Sahafi, Sayed Goli and Mahdi Kadivar
Sayed Mohammad Sahafi, Sayed Amir Hossein Goli and Mahdi Kadivar, Isfahan University of Technology, Iran
Purpose: This study aimed to develop a model for producing diacylglycerols (DAGs) in safflower oil. Oils with a high diacylglycerol (1,3-DAG) content have attracted considerable attention due to their favourable effects in preventing many diseases. There are valid scientific reports on the effects of diacylglycerol oil in preventing the accumulation of body fat and obesity, increased sensitivity of cells to insulin, reduced sodium concentration in the blood, LDL and cholesterol and blood pressure in people with atherosclerotic disease.
Design/methodology/approach: In this study, 1,3-DAG was synthesized from safflower oil using the glycerolysis reaction in a solvent-free system with lipozyme TL IM as a biocatalyst. A D-optimal design was used to model and optimize the reaction conditions. Evaluation of the resulting model enabled the determination of optimal reaction conditions for glycerolysis, aiming at a high DAG yield. The glycerolysis reaction was optimized with four factors of temperature, time, molar ratio of glycerol to oil and enzyme percentage.
Findings: The DAG content of the product was dependent on all parameters examined except reaction temperature. DAG formation increased with in-creasing substrate ratio and decreasing enzyme load and reaction time. The highest DAG production was 52% (w/w, on the basis of total fat) and optimal conditions were found to be 0.75% enzyme, 5.3 g glycerol, a temperature of 46.9 °C and a reaction time of 4 h. In these conditions, after purification, DAG content increased to 53.84. The content of sn-1,3-DAG was higher than that of sn-1,2-DAG (70:30) under all reaction conditions.
Keywords: Safflower oil, Lipozyme TL IM, Glycerolysis, Diacylglycerol oil
