Application of microbial lipases to concentrate polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Several polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) belonging to the omega 6 series, such as cis-6,9,12 gamma-linolenic acid, as well as those of the omega 3 series, such as cis-5,8,1 1,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid and cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid are of considerable interest due to their nutritional and therapeutic properties. Methods used for the concentration of PUFA from natural sources include men adduct formation, solvent winterization, supercritical fluid extraction and lipase-catalyzed reaction. Lipases are known to have little reactivity on PUFA and these acids can be enriched by selective hydrolysis, direct esterification of glycerol with PUFA and interesterification. Since lipase reactions are advantageous with respect to fatty acid, positional specificities and mild incubation condition, these enzymes are considered to be suitable for the production of PUFA concentrates for medical purposes.