Preparation of mono- and diacylglycerols by enzymatic esterification of glycerol with conjugated linoleic acid in hexane.

Esterification of glycerol with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was carried out in hexane. Lipase from Rhizomucor miehei provided a high degree of esterification (80%) in 8 h at 50 degrees C when used at 15% (w/w) in a system containing a 1:2 molar ratio of glycerol to free fatty acids. Esterification levels >80% were obtained in 8 h at 40 degrees C with 15% (w/w) lipase from Candida antarctica at the same molar ratio of reactants. The extent of esterification of CLA was >90% after 4 h of reaction at 50 degrees C with a 5% (w/w) loading of either R. miehei or C. antarctica lipase, together with a 1:1 molar ratio of substrates. Both enzymes incorporated the original CLA as acylglycerol residues in primarily 1,3-diacylglycerol and 1-monoacylglycerol. The CLA-rich acylglycerols can be employed as emulsifiers or as substitutes for natural fats and oils.

Lipolysis of butter oil by immobilized lamb pregastric esterase: I. Uniresponse kinetics-pH and temperature effects.

Lamb pregastric esterase, immobilized by physical adsorption on microporous polypropylene in a hollow fiber reactor, has been employed to effect the continuous hydrolysis of the triglycerides in butter oil. Experimental data were obtained at temperatures from 35 to 45 degrees C and pH values from 5.5 to 6.5. The overall rate of hydrolysis was fastest at 40 degrees C and a pH of 6.0. Nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters of rate expressions based on a generic Ping-Pong Bi Bi mechanism. The best nonlinear fit of the data was consistent with a mechanism that assumes that acylation of the enzyme is the rate-limiting step in the hydrolysis reaction.

Kinetics of the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of glucose esters in acetone.

A simple kinetic model derived from a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism is proposed to describe the lipase-catalyzed esterification of glucose with fatty acids. The mathematical expressions derived from this model have been tested using several sets of data obtained from reactions carried out under different reaction conditions. The predicted values provide very good fits of the experimental data for temperatures from 30 to 60 degrees C, enzyme loadings from 90 to 180 mg, and fatty acid concentrations from 0.33M to 1M. Experiments conducted at different temperatures permit one to estimate an activation energy of approximately 12 kcal/mol for the rate-limiting step of the reaction (formation of the acyl-enzyme complex). The model also considers the kinetics of inactivation of the biocatalyst during the reaction.

Synthesis of glycerides containing n-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid by solvent-free acidolysis of fish oil.

Menhaden oil, a rich source of n-3 fatty acids, was interesterified with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in a reaction medium composed solely of substrates and either free or immobilized commercial lipase preparations. Of five lipases tested, an immobilized preparation from Mucor miehei provided the fastest rate of incorporation of CLA into fish oil acylglycerols; however, and as observed with most of the lipases utilized, a significant proportion of the n-3 fatty acid residues were liberated in the process. A soluble lipase from Candida rugosa converted free CLA to acylglycerol residues while leaving the n-3 fatty acid residues virtually untouched. Even though the reaction rate was slower for this enzyme than for the other four lipase preparations, the specificity of the free C. rugosa lipase gives it the greatest potential for commercial use in preparing fish oils enriched in CLA residues but still retaining their original n-3 fatty acid residues.

Effect of pH on the production of lipolyzed butter oil by a calf pregastric esterase immobilized in a hollow-fiber reactor: II. Multiresponse kinetics.

The lipolysis of butter oil in a hollow-fiber reactor containing an immobilized calf pregastric esterase was studied at 40 degrees C and at pH values of 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, and 7.0. The concentrations of ten fatty acid species in the lipolyzed product were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The relative specificity of this esterase depended on pH. Three mathematical models derived from a generalized Michaelis-Menten mechanism were tested for their ability to describe the rates of release of individual specific fatty acids. Loss of enzyme activity was modeled using first order kinetics. The models for deactivation and reaction kinetics were fit simultaneously to the data. The parameters of the model were also tested for dependence on pH. The model was successful in describing the rates of release of all ten fatty acid species for a range of space times and pH values.

Biotechnology for the production of nutraceuticals enriched in conjugated linoleic acid: II. Multiresponse kinetics of the hydrolysis of corn oil by a Pseudomonas sp. lipase immobilized in a hollow-fiber reactor.

The hydrolysis of corn oil in the presence of a lipase from Pseudomonas sp. immobilized within the walls of a hollow-fiber reactor was studied at 30 degrees C. To assess the selectivity of this immobilized enzyme, the effluent concentrations of five different free fatty acids were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Several rate expressions associated with a generic ping-pong bi-bi mechanism were used to fit the experimental data for this lipase-catalyzed reaction. A multiresponse nonlinear regression method was employed to determine the kinetic parameters associated with these rate expressions. Quasi-optimum operating conditions corresponded to 30 degrees C and a buffer pH value of 7.0. Under these conditions, the concentration of free linoleic acid (C18:2) (the fatty acid of primary interest) in the effluent oil stream for a fluid residence time of 6 h was approximately 0.5 M.

Effect of pH on the production of lipolyzed butter oil by a calf pregastric esterase immobilized in a hollow-fiber reactor: I. uniresponse kinetics.

A calf pregastric esterase immobilized in a hollow-fiber reactor was employed to hydrolyze milkfat, thereby producing a lipolyzed butteroil. The reaction kinetics can be modeled by a two-parameter model of the general Michaelis-Menten form based on a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism; the rate of enzyme deactivation can be modeled as a first-order reaction. The initial concentration of accessible glyceride bonds, [G](O), was estimated by complete saponification of the substrate butteroil as 2400 mM. An extra sum of squares test indicated that not only the parameters of the kinetic generalized Michaelis-Menten model, but also the deactivation-rate constant varied significantly with pH. The optimum pH, for lypolysis is near 6.0 at a temperature of 40 degrees C because at this pH the rate of deactivation of the esterase is minimized.

Continuous enzymatic esterification of glycerol with (poly)unsaturated fatty acids in a packed-bed reactor.

Enzymatic synthesis of mono-, di-, and triacyglycerols from (poly)unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic, oleic, and conjugated linoleic acids) has been studied as a solvent-free reaction in a packed-bed reactor containing an immobilized lipase from Mucor miehei. The extents of the esterification reactions of interest are primarily determined by the molar ratio of glycerol to fatty acid because the presence of excess glycerol as a immiscible phase is responsible for reducing the activity of the water produced by the esterification reactions. For molar ratios of fatty acid to glycerol of less than 1.5, the percentage of the fatty acid esterified decreases quasi-linearly with an increase in this molar ratio. By appropriate manipulation of the fluid-residence time, one can control the relative proportions of the various acylglycerols in the effluent stream. At the outlet of the reactor, one observes excellent spontaneous separation of the glycerol and acylglycerol/fatty acid phases. At 50 degrees C and a fluid residence time of 1 hour, as much as 90% of the fatty acid can be esterified when the molar ratio of fatty acid to glycerol is 0.33 or less.

Interesterification (acidolysis) of butterfat with conjugated linoleic acid in a batch reactor.

Six commercial lipases, in free or immobilized form, were tested for their ability to catalyze acyl exchange between conjugated linoleic acid and anhydrous butterfat under solvent-free conditions. Immobilized Candida antarctica lipase exhibited the best activity. Experiments were conducted for this lipase in butterfat to conjugated linoleic acid ratios of 10:1 (vol/vol), temperatures from 30 to 70 degrees C, enzyme concentrations of 50 to 200 mg/g of reaction mixture, and water contents of 0.15 to 2% (wt/wt). At the maximum enzyme concentration used, equilibrium was reached within the first 24 h of reaction. The optimum temperature was 50 degrees C. The triacylglycerol profile of the product butterfat reflected changes in the relative proportions of fatty acid residues as the reaction proceeded, with increases in those triacylglycerols containing 46 to 54 carbon atoms and concomitant decreases in those triacylglycerols containing 34 to 42 carbon atoms.

Hydrolysis of menhaden oil by a Candida cylindracea lipase immobilized in a hollow-fiber reactor.

A lipase from Candida cylindracea immobilized by adsorption on microporous polypropylene fibers was used to selectively hydrolyze the saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid residues of menhaden oil at 40 degrees C and pH 7.0. At a space time of 3.5 h, the shell and tube reactor containing these hollow fibers gives a fractional release of each of the saturated and monounsaturated fatty acid residues (i.e., C14, C16, C16:1, C18:1) of ca. 88% of the corresponding possible asymptotic value. The corresponding coproduct glycerides retained over 90% of the initial residues of both eicosapentaenoic (EPA; C20:5) and docosahexaenoic (DHA; C22:6) acids. The half-life of the immobilized lipase was 170 h when the reactor was operated at the indicated (optimum) conditions. Rate expressions associated with a generic ping-pong bi-bi mechanism were used to fit the experimental data for the lipase catalyzed reaction. Both uni- and multiresponse nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters associated with these rate expressions. The best statistical fit of the uniresponse data was obtained for a rate expression, which is formally equivalent to a general Michaelis-Menten mechanism. After reparameterization, this rate expression reduced to a pseudo-first-order model. For the multiresponse analysis, a model that employed a normal distribution of the ratio of Vmax/Km with respect to the chain length of the fatty acid residues provided the best statistical fit of the experimental data.

Kinetic modeling of interesterification reactions catalyzed by immobilized lipase.

Kinetic data for lipase-catalyzed interesterification reactions between free fatty acids and triglycerides were collected and the dynamics of the interesterification reactions were successfully modeled using tow rate experssions requiring a total of five adjustable parameters. One rate expression describes the disappearance of the free fatty acid (octanoic or linolenic acid), and the second describes the rate of release of fatty acid residues from the triglycerides (olive oil or milkfat). This model is able to account for the effects of the concentration of all chemical species participating in interesterification throughout the entire reaction. When the data for both milkfat and olive oil were subjected to nonlinear regression analyses using the same mathematical model, the parameter estimates for both systems were comparable. In addition to reproducing the tendencies observed experimentally, simulations of the interesterification system under a variety of initial conditions provided insight into the effects of several reaction variables which could not be examined experimentally. Among the most significant findings of the simulation work are (1) there is a limit beyond which increasing the initial concentration of water produces no further increase in the initial rate of the interesterification reaction; (2) an increase in the initial concentration of lower glycerides produces a concomitant increase in the rate of the interesterification reaction; (3) the free fatty acids inhibit the rate of hydrolysis of the fatty acid residues of the triglycerides; (4) there is a limit beyond which increasing the initial concentration of triglycerides produces no significant increase in the rate of either the hydrolysis reaction or the interesterification reaction.

Kinetics and mechanisms of reactions catalysed by immobilized lipases.

This review focuses on the kinetics and mechanisms of reactions catalysed by immobilized lipases. The effects of pH, temperature, and various substances on the catalytic properties of immobilized lipases and on the processes by which they are deactivated are reviewed and discussed.

Hydrolysis of butteroil by immobilized lipase using a hollow-fiber reactor: IV. Effects of temperature.

A lipase from Aspergillus niger, immobilized by adsorption on microporous polypropylene hollow fibers, was used to effect the hydrolysis of the glycerides of melted butterfat at pH. 7.0 at 40, 50, 55, and 60 degrees C. Mcllvane buffer was pumped upward through the lumen, and melted butterfat was pumped upward through the shell side of a hollow fiber reactor. Nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters of models based on combinations of three nested rate expressions for the hydrolysis reaction with three nested rate expressions for thermal deactivation of the enzyme. A rate expression containing four lumped parameters is sufficient to model the release of free fatty acids as a function of reactor space time and time elapsed after immobilization. Nonlinear regression methods were also employed in global fits of the data to rate expressions containing an explicit dependence on temperature. For the reaction conditions used in this research, a 14-parameter rate expression is necessary to accurately model the overall release of free fatty acids as a continuous function of the absolute temperature, initial substrate concentrations, reactor space time, and time elapsed after immobilization of the lipase.

Hydrolysis of butteroil by immobilized lipase using a hollow-fiber reactor: part II. Uniresponse kinetic studies.

A lipase from Aspergillus niger immobilized by adsorption on microporous, polypropylene hollow fibers was used to effect the hydrolysis of the glycerides of melted butterfat at 40 degrees C and pH 7.0. Mcllvane buffer was pumped through the lumen and melted butterfat was pumped cocurrently through the shell side of a shell-and-tube reactor. Nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters of three nested rate expressions derived from a Ping Pong Bi Bi enzymatic mechanism coupled with three nested rate expressions for the thermal deactivation of the enzyme. For the reaction conditions used in this research, a four-parameter rate expression (which includes a two-parameter deactivation rate expression and a two-parameter hydrolysis rate expression) is sufficient to model the overall release of free fatty acids from the triglycerides of butterfat as a function of space time and time elapsed after immobilization. At a space time of 3.7 h immediately after immobilization of lipase, 50% of the fatty acid residues esterified in the sn-1,3 positions of the triglycerides can be released in the hollow-fiber reactor.

Hydrolysis of butteroil by immobilized lipase using a hollow-fiber reactor: part III. Multiresponse kinetic studies.

A lipase from Aspergillus niger immobilized by adsorption on microporous, polypropylene hollow fibers was used to effect the continuous hydrolysis of the glycerides of butter oil at 40 degrees C and pH 7.0. The effluent concentrations of 10 different free fatty acid products were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Multiresponse nonlinear regression methods were used to fit the data to a multisubstrate rate expression derived from a Ping Pong Bi Bi mechanism in which the rate-controlling step is deacylation of the lipase. Thermal deactivation of the enzyme was also included in the mathematical model of reactor performance. A postulated normal distribution of v(max) with respect to the chain length of the fatty acid (with an additive correction for the degree of unsaturation) was tested for statistical significance. The model is useful for predicting the free fatty acid profile of the lipolyzed butteroil product over a wide range of flow rates.

Hydrolysis of butteroil by immobilized lipase using a hollow-fiber reactor: part I. lipase adsorption studies.

Adsorption of proteins from a crude preparation containing a lipase from Aspergillus niger on microporous polypropylene hollow fibers was studied at six different temperatures. Langmuir isotherms accurately describe the overall adsorption equilibria. Lipase is selectively adsorbed relative to the other proteins in the crude preparation. Hence, immobilization also provides further purification of the lipase. The predictions of the Langmuir model for the change in the specific activity of lipase upon adsorption are consistent with experimental results. The loading capacity of the hollow fibers decreases and the adsorption constant increases as temperature is increased. This effect is more significant in the case of lipolytic activity than it is for the total amount of adsorbed protein. Small, positive enthalpy changes are associated with the adsorption of lipase on these hydrophobic membranes.

Hydrolysis of lactose in skim milk by immobilized beta-galactosidase (bacillus circulans).

A novel chemical reactor, consisting of beta-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans immobilized onto a ribbed membrane made from polyvinylchloride and silica, was used to hydrolyze the lactose constituent of skim milk. Multiresponse nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters of rate expressions based on a proposed enzymatic mechanism that includes the formation of oligosaccharides. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods were employed to monitor the concentrations of all species present in the effluent stream. For the experimental conditions used in this research, rate expressions which include the formation of trisaccharides, the inhibition effects of both the alpha and beta anomers of galactose, and the corresponding mutarotation reaction are sufficient to model the reaction network.

Use of a lipase immobilized in a membrane reactor to hydrolyze the glycerides of butteroil.

A lipase from A spergillus niger, immobilized by adsorption on a microporous, polypropylene flat-sheet membrane, was used to effect the continous hydrolysis of the glycerides of melted butterfat at 35 degrees C. For the reaction conditions used in this research, a pseudo-zero order rate expression can be used to model the kinetics of the overall hydrolysis of butterfat. Multiresponse nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters of a multisubstrate rate expression derived fro ma mechanism based on the general Michaëlis-Menten approach. For the multiresponse data taken at pH 7.0, the dependence of the maximum rate of release of each fatty acid residue of butterfat on its carbon chain length is accurately described by a skewed, bell-shaped (or Gamma-type) distribution. Data taken at five different pH values were fit assuming a Dixon-Webb diprotic model for the pH dependence of the reaction rate. The thermal deactivation of the immobilized lipase obeyed first-order kinetics with a half-life of 19.9 days at 35 degrees C. The multisubstrate model is useful for the prediction of the free fatty acid profile of lipolyzed butterfat, whereas the lumped-substrate model provides an estimate of the overall degree of hydrolysis as a function of the reactor space time.

Use of novel immobilized beta-galactosidase reactor to hydrolyze the lactose constituent of skim milk.

beta-galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae immobilized in an axial-annular flow reactor was used to effect the hydrolysis of the lactose component of skim milk. Nonlinear regression methods were employed to determine the kinetic parameters of four rate expressions derived from a proposed enzymatic mechanism. Data taken at three different temperatures (30 degrees C, 40 degrees C, and 50 degrees C) were fit via nonlinear regression methods assuming an Arrhenius temperature model for each of the parameters. For the reaction conditions used in this research, a three-parameter rate expression which includes the separate competitive inhibition effects of alpha- and beta-galactose (and the associated mutarotation reaction) is sufficient to model the hydrolysis of lactose in skim milk. The effects of temperature on the individual kinetic parameters are small. The most significant effect appears in the term for inhibition by the beta anomer of galactose (E(A) = 10.3 kcal/mol). At 40 degrees C and a space time of 10 min, 70% of the lactose present in skim milk can be hydrolyzed with the axial-annular flow reactor. This reactor can be used to hydrolyze the lactose in skim milk without the problems observed with other reactor configurations, namely, plugging due to particulates, microbial contamination, and large pressure drop.