GERMINATING RAPESEED AS BIOCATALYST - HYDROLYSIS OF OILS CONTAINING COMMON AND UNUSUAL FATTY-ACIDS

Seedlings of low-erucic rape (Brassica napus) at day 3-5 of germination have been homogenized in Tris-HCl buffer and the homogenate used-as such or after defatting with pentane-as a biocatalyst for the hydrolysis of fats and oils containing common and unusual fatty acids. The rape seedlings were found to be highly active in the hydrolysis of triacylglycerols of linseed oil, castor oil, borage oil, coriander oil, Hydnocarpus wightiana oil, and hake (Merluccius hubbsi) liver oil but were unable to hydrolyze the wax esters contained in jojoba oil and orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus) oil to any appreciable extent. In the hydrolysis of borage oil, coriander oil, H. wightiana oil, and hake liver oil the rape seedlings were found to discriminate against gamma-linolenoyl, petroselinoyl, gorlioyl and n-3 docosahexaenoyl moieties, respectively. These findings show the potentials of germinating rape seedlings as a cheap and easy-to-obtain biocatalyst for complete hydrolysis of oils or for their partial selective hydrolysis for the enrichment of definite fatty acids from mixtures.