Synthesis of medium-chain fatty acid enriched diacylglycerol from Cinnamomum camphora seed oil

The lipase-catalyzed reaction of Cinnamomum camphora seed oil (CCSO) and glycerol was studied to produce diacylglycerol (DAG ) rich in medium -chain fatty acid (MCFA ) in a solvent free system using Lipozyme RM IM immobilized lipase as the catalyst. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the reaction conditions of glycerolysis. The optimal parameters were as follows:substrate molar ratio of glycerol to CCSO was 1∶2.3, enzyme load was 11.7wt%, reaction temperature was 72℃, and reaction time was 15h. Under the optimal conditions, DAG content could reach 51.60% in the reaction product. Fatty acid compositions of the reaction products were detected by the gas chromatographic. The contents of capric acid (C10∶0) and lauric acid (C12∶0) in the DAG oil were 54.68% and 39.79% , which remained the similar fatty acid composition as CCSO. Though the total content of MCFA in DAG of the reaction product deceased in some extent, it could still reach about 75%.