Effect of Additives and Process Variables on Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Macauba Kernel Oil (Acrocomia aculeata)

Abstract

This work investigates the production of free fatty acids (FFAs) from the enzymatic hydrolysis of macauba kernel oil. Experiments evaluate the effect of different enzymes and the addition of salts, surfactants, and solvents to the reaction medium, as well as the effect of process variables. Results showed that FFA yields obtained for use of Lipozyme RM IM were higher than those obtained from Lipozyme TL IM and Lipozyme 435. The addition of salts and surfactants did not promote increased production of FFAs, while addingn-hexane and heptane to the reaction medium led to an increased reaction rate. It can be observed for the results that the temperature, water : oil mass ratio, and enzyme percentage had positive effects on the FFA yield in the range of 35°C to 55°C, 1 : 20 to 1 : 2, and 1 to 15%, respectively, and that, from these limits, increases in these variables did not cause significant increase in FFA yields. The addition of buffer promoted an increase in yield FFAs, as well as the pH of the buffer, and it was reported that an agitation of 400 rpm resulted in the highest yields in the investigated range.

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Potential of Palm Leaf Extracts from Babaçu (Attalea speciosa), Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa), and Macaúba (Acrocomia aculeata)

“…These high humidity percentages are attributable to harvest during the rainy season. The extraction method using a Soxhlet extractor [15] resulted in a yield of 28.19% for A. speciosa , 33.14% for M. flexuosa , and 66.39% for A. aculeata shown in Figure 2. This is probably due to the part of the leaves used, since the extraction was made from A. aculeata folioles whereas in A. speciosa and M. flexuosa the whole leaf was used which included the blade with midrib and the petiole.…”

Continuous Catalyst-Free Esterification of Oleic Acid in Compressed Ethanol

“…The importance of examining the esterification reaction in a more detailed manner is justified by the huge amount and variety of vegetable oils worldwide available for biodiesel production which may have a high percentage of FFA making the conventional alkali-catalyzed transesterification impracticable, since for this process the percentage of FFA needs to be less than 0.5% [2]. Recent studies propose to obtain esters in two reaction steps of substrates with high acidity, consisting of two approaches: (a) esterification of FFA and subsequent transesterification of triglycerides [3][4][5] or (b) hydrolysis of triglycerides, followed by esterification of fatty acids obtained [6][7][8]. In these approaches are commonly used chemical catalysts (homogeneous or heterogeneous) or enzymatic catalysts.…”

HIDRÓLISE ASSISTIDA POR ULTRASSOM DO ÓLEO DE CRAMBE (Crambe abyssinica) EM MEIO LIVRE DE SOLVENTE ORGÂNICO

“…Na produção do concentrado natural de beta-caroteno a partir de óleo de buriti por hidrólise enzimática, Ribeiro et al (2012) observaram o acréscimo nos rendimentos em AGLs de 56,6% para 62,9% utilizando razões mássicas de óleo:água 14 e 26% , respectivamente utilizando a enzima TL IM (imobilizada). Raspe et al (2013) reportam o efeito significativo do percentual de água de 10 a 50% no meio reacional de hidrólise do óleo de macaúba, utilizando a enzima Lipozyme® TL IM.…”