Enrichment of eicosapentaenoic acid and synthesis of phytosteryl esters by one-step enzyme reaction

초록

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) enrichment and phytosteryl ester synthesis were achieved simultaneously through one-step lipase-catalyzed esterification of anchovy oil fatty acid with phytosterols. The reaction was conducted in cyclohexane using a commercial Candida rugosa lipase (Lipase OF) as the biocatalyst. The influences of the molar ratio of phytosterol to fatty acid, reaction temperature, enzyme loading, and the solvent amount were systematically investigated. Following esterification, EPA was enriched in the fatty acid fraction. The optimum conditions were identified as a phytosterol to fatty acid molar ratio of 3:1, a temperature of 40 degrees C, an enzyme loading of 10% (w/w of total substrate), and the solvent amount of 4 mL/g (based on total substrate weight), respectively. Under the optimum conditions, the conversion and EPA content in the fatty acid fraction were 85% and 47.2%, respectively. Compared with the original anchovy oil (17.2% EPA), the optimized process resulted in 2.8-fold increase in EPA content.

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