Efficient esterification of sorbitan oleate by lipase in a solvent-free system

The lipase-catalyzed esterification of sorbitan with oleic acid in a solvent-free system to form sorbitan oleate (commercial name Span80) was studied as a feasible approach aimed at meeting the demand for sugar alcohol-based surfactants. Screened results obtained from enzymatic synthesis of sorbitan oleate indicated that Novozym 435 had its highest catalytic activity in a solvent-free system. The introduction of a reduced-pressure system increased the production of sorbitan oleate to a maximum of 95% of theoretical, obtained from 0.2 mol sorbitan, 0.1 mol oleic acid, and 2.0 g lipase (6 wt% of sorbitan) in a solvent-free reaction mixture at optimal reaction conditions. Results obtained from lipase-catalyzed batch esterification reactions showed that more than 90% conversion of sorbitan oleate was maintained after 10 batches of esterification reactions, indicating excellent enzyme stability. Subsequent analysis by HPLC indicated that the product of enzyme-catalyzed esterification by the immobilized lipase contained a significantly greater amount of monoester (about 80%) compared to the composition obtained by chemical synthesis (about 50%).