Utilization of acid oils in making valuable fatty products by microbial lipase technology

Microbial lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis, esterification, and alcoholysis reactions were carried out on acid oils of commerce such as coconut, soybean, mustard, sunflower, and rice bran for the purpose of making fatty acids and various monohydric alcohol esters of fatty acids of the acid oils. Neutral glycerides of the acid oils were hydrolyzed by Candida cylindracea lipase almost completely within 48 h. Acid oils were converted into fatty acid esters of short- and long-chain alcohols like C-4, C-8, C-10, C-12, C-16, and C-18 in high yields by simultaneous esterification and alcoholysis reactions with Mucor miehei lipase as catalyst. Acid oils of commerce can be utilized as raw materials in making fatty acids and fatty acid esters using lipase-catalyzed methodologies.