Front Matter

cerol and free fatty acids (Bu ̈hler and Wandrey, 1987; Macrae and Staines, 1994;

Plou et al. 1996). These lipases are all non-specific and allow for hydrolysis of

the fatty acids on all positions on the triglycerides. Moreover, as opposed to other

lipases, they are not inhibited by high fatty acids concentrations, allowing for near-

complete hydrolysis (Macrae and Staines, 1994). Continuous lipase-based fat-split-

ting processes have been designed, in which the lipase was recovered by either in-

line centrifugation (Bu ̈hler and Wandrey, 1987) or membranes (Hoq et al., 1985).

Despite the cost reduction thus achieved, enzymatic hydrolysis is not applied in

practice to a significant extent.

4 1 The Exploitation of Lipase Selectivities for the Production of Acylglycerols

Table 1.Major specificities of lipases and their applications.

Specificity Lipases Production of References

Regio specificity
1,3-Regio specific Rhizomucor miehei triglyceride synthesis Section 1.2.
Rhizopus oryzae
Rhizopus arrhizus 1,2(2,3)-diglycerides by triglyceride
hydrolysis

Section 1.3.

Rhizopus delemar 1,3-diglyceride by fatty acid

(directed) esterification

Section 1.3.

Rhizopus niveus

Porcine pancreatic

lipase

2-monoglycerides by triglyceride

hydrolysis

Section 1.4.

1(3)-monoglycerides by fatty acid

esterification

Section 1.4.

Non-specific Candida rugosa fatty acid production by hydrolysis Section 1.2.
Chromobacterium
viscosum
Pseudomonas
fluorescens

mono- and diglycerides by directed

glycerolysis

Section 1.3.

Pseudomonas cepacia Section 1.4.

Fatty acid specific
Long chain poly- Geotrichum candidum Selective hydrolysis Section 1.2.
unsaturated acids Candida rugosa
Saturated acids Fusarium oxysporum Selective hydrolysis Section 1.2.
cis-D9 unsaturated
acids

Geotrichum candidum B Selective hydrolysis Section 1.2.

Short acids Cupheasp. Selective hydrolysis Section 1.2.

Acylglycerol specific
Monoacylglycerols Potato acylhydrolase
(patatin)

Monoglycerides by fatty acid

esterification

Section 1.4.

Mono- and
diacylglycerols

Penicillium camembertii Mono- and diglycerides by fatty

acid esterification

Section 1.3.

Penicillium cyclopiumM1 Section 1.4.
Fusariumsp.
Triacylglycerols Penicillium roquefortii 1,2-Diglycerides by triglyceride
hydrolysis or alcoholysis

Section 1.3.

Penicillium cyclopiumM

Penicillium expansum