Optimization of distilled monoglycerides production

• Published in: Applied biochemistry and biotechnology Vol. 129-132; no. 1-3; pp. 680 - 693
• Main Authors: Fregolente, Leonardo Vasconcelos, Batistella, César Benedito, Maciel Filho, Rubens, Maciel, Maria Regina Wolf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Springer Nature B.V 2006
• Subjects: Bioreactors; Chemical Fractionation - methods; Distillation; Food Handling - methods; High temperature; Hot Temperature; Monoglycerides - chemistry; Monoglycerides - isolation & purification; Optimization; Pharmaceutical industry; Sodium hydroxide; Soybean oil; Soybean Oil - chemistry; Soybeans
• ISSN: 0273-2289; 0273-2289; 1559-0291
• DOI: 10.1385/ABAB:131:1:680

Monoglycerides (MG) are emulsifiers widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. Current industrial processes for MG production consist of the interesterification of triglycerides with glycerol (GL), in the presence of inorganic catalysts at high temperatures (> 200 degrees C). This reaction is known as glycerolysis and produces a mixture of approx 50% of MG. This level of concentration is suitable for many applications, although, for some specific uses like margarine, shortening, icing, and cream filling, require distilled MGs, which are purified MG (min. 90%) obtained by the molecular distillation process. Therefore, in this work, a 23 factorial design was employed to evaluate the effects of reaction parameters in the MG content after the interesterification reaction of refined soybean oil with GL in the presence of sodium hydroxide as catalyst. After that, the MG content in the reaction product was enhanced through the molecular distillation process in order to obtain distilled MG.