APPLICATION OF WATER MIMICS ON PREPARATION OF EICOSAPENTAENOIC AND DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACIDS CONTAINING GLYCEROLIPIDS

To obtain enhanced incorporation of highly unsaturated fatty acids and recovery of glycerolipid products, organic solvents with high dielectric constants (water mimics) were substituted for part of the essential water for lipase activation to study their effect on acidolysis and transesterification. In acidolysis/transesterification of fish oil triglycerides and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), Lipozyme IM-60 with ethylene glycol as a water mimic enhanced the incorporation of EPA and suppressed the hydrolysis of synthesized glycerolipid. On the other hand, transesterification between soy phosphatidylcholine and EPA was enhanced by a water and propylene glycol combination. In a nonaqueous medium that contained appropriate amounts of water and organic solvents (water mimics), Lipozyme IM-60 increased transesterification of EPA into soy phosphatidylcholine. Simultaneously, the recovered glycerolipid products showed decreased hydrolysis of newly synthesized EPA- and DHA-containing glycerolipids.