Lipase catalyzed solvent free synthesis of monoacylglycerols in various reaction systems and coupling reaction with pervaporation for in situ water removal

This work reports a practical comparison of simple reaction systems for enzymatic production of monoacylglycerols (MAG) from lauric- and caprylic acid. Two approaches namely shake flasks and packed bed reactor (from 60 g to 3 kg scale) were compared as well as water removal strategies such as adsorption on molecular sieves, N2 stripping and hydrophilic pervaporation, were studied. In all the reactor systems high fatty acid conversion (>90%) was achieved in solvent free conditions. The product profile obtained showed 35 wt% - 50 wt % MAG in various systems and was related to final fatty acid conversion as well as reaction conditions and setups. The selectivity of products in the tested systems, ranged from 55 to 70 wt% mono-, 30-35 wt% di- and 1-10 wt% triacylglycerols. Packed bed reactor enabling enzyme reuse, was coupled with pervaporation, demonstrating practical applicability of zeolite based membranes for in situ water removal.

Automated summary

This work presents a practical comparison of simple reaction systems for enzymatic production of MAG, focusing on water removal strategies and product selectivity. High fatty acid conversion was achieved in all reactor systems, with product composition and selectivity influenced by reaction conditions and setups. The study demonstrated the practical applicability of packed bed reactor coupled with pervaporation for enzyme reuse and in situ water removal using zeolite based membranes.