Enzymatic transesterification of milk fat with soybean oil to obtain a product enriched with essential fatty acids and desirable physical properties

• Grant number: 05/03992-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: June 01, 2006
• End date: July 31, 2006
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Chemical Process Industries
• Principal Investigator: Heizir Ferreira de Castro
• Grantee: Mário Antônio Alves da Cunha
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química de Lorena (FAENQUIL). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). Lorena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project seeks to contribute in the strengthen of a new research group "Technology of Enzymatic Reactors Processes" which began its activities throughout the project "Jovem Pesquisador" (Process FAPESP 04/12329-8), under developing at the Department of Chemical Engineering/ School of Chemical Engineering of Lorena. The purpose of this work is to obtain a modified milk fat product with desirable physical properties and enriched with essential fatty acids through enzymatic transesterfication of milk fat with soybean oil. The main aspects that will be approached in this project are: i) to establish and optimize the transesterification reaction conditions of the milk fat with soybean oil, using thermo stable microbial lipase immobilized in a suitable support and ii) to test the optimized biotransformation in a fixed bed reactor. To avoid oxidation of the raw materials and product, the systems will be operated under inert atmosphere. Analytical methods to quantify the properties of the raw materials and product will be also established. The development of this project will aid to strengthen of an important research area at FAENQUIL and also it will contribute for the development of Brazilian technologies for manufacturing products with especial properties by enzymatic process at industrial scale.