Phenolic acids enzymatic lipophilization

Lipophilization is the esterification of a lipophilic moiety (fatty acid or fatty alcohol) on different substrates (phenolic acid, sugar, protein,...), resulting in new molecules with modified hydrophilic/ lipophilic balance. This reaction can be obtained chemically or enzymatically using different enzymes. Phenolic acids possess interesting biological properties (antioxidant, chelator, free radical scavenger, UV filter, antimicrobial,...), but because of their relatively low solubility in aprotic media, their application in oil-based products is limited. Therefore, the esterification of their carboxylic acid function with a fatty alcohol enhances their hydrophobicity and results in a multifunctional amphiphilic molecule. Enzymatic lipophilization of phenolic acids is nowadays studied for potential industrial applications. Different systems have been proposed to perform the reaction yield [free or immobilized enzymes (lipase, feruloyl esterase, tannase, etc.), free or added organic solvent, addition of surfactant, microemulsion system, etc.]. Some of the functional properties of these esters have been demonstrated. This review presents a panorama of the advances in this field.