ides could provide numerous advantages as compared to the above-described, con-
ventional methods such as increased selectivity, higher product purity and quality,
energy conservation, and the omission of toxic catalysts (Figure 4).
It is not surprising therefore, that a number of research groups became recently
engaged in the synthesis of monoglycerides by lipase-catalyzed reactions (Holmberg
and Osterberg, 1988; Weiss, 1990; Hayes and Gulari, 1991; Schneider and Berger,
1992) and the corresponding modification of natural fats and oils. Frequently, how-
ever, mixtures of partial glycerides and their isomers are observed in these cases. In
this chapter, only selective transformations leading to isomerically pure mono- and
diglycerides of defined chemical structures are addressed. Furthermore, we are con-
centrating here on methods that lead to the title compounds directly from glycerol
and various acyl donors, i.e. without additional derivatizations or the use of perma-
102 6 Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Regioisomerically Pure Mono- and Diglycerides
Figure 3. Technical synthesis of ‘monoglycerides’.
Figure 4. Biotechnological routes to regioisomerically pure mono- and diglycerides: advantages.