(593x) Surfactant Improved Fatty Acids Production From Babassu Oil Using Rizomuchor Miehei Lipase

Enzymes are attractive for applications in biochemical and industrial fields because of its specificity and its ability to catalyze reactions. Lipases (glycerol ester hydrolases) are present in detergent formulations, the oleochemical and pharmaceutical processing, as well as catalyze the synthesis of biosurfactants, dairy and agrochemical industries, and the hydrolysis of triglycerides. The hydrolysis of oils is the natural function of lipases. Hydrolysis of triglycerides is an essential reaction for the production of fatty acids or special glycerides. The main advantage of lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis over conventional processes is the ability that enzymes have to perform these reactions at room temperature and pressure. In order to enhance conversion in lipase catalyzed hydrolysis, surfactants can be utilized. Therefore, in this study, fatty acids were produced from babassu oil (Attalea speciosa) using Rizomuchor miehei lipase (RML) in the presence of different surfactants: SDS (anionic surfactant), CTAB (cationic surfactant), Span 20, Triton X-100, Igepal, Brij 30 and Tween 60. The concentration of surfactant used was up the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The hydrolysis reaction was carried out in thermostated batch reactors, under stirring, using 10 mL of reactional media with 1%v/v lipase concentration, 55% v/v oil concentration and distilled water, at 37^◦C, 200 rpm. The acidity was determined by titration of free fatty acids (FFAs) with 0.25N NaOH and the result was expressed in grams of FFAs per 100 g of the sample. The surfactant that enhanced the formation of FFAs was chosen as the most suitable surfactant. Preliminary results in the presence of surfactant and absence free lipase showed a maximum value for free fatty acids of 1.5 ± 0.1 mgKOH/g.  When RML catalyzed the hydrolysis, FFA was 50.89 ± 2.5 mgKOH/g and 28.87 ± 1.7 mgKOH/g, respectively, in the presence nonionic detergent TWIN and  SPAN. When anionic/cationic surfactants (SDS) were used together with RML, the amount of free fatty acids in the samples low, 0.61 ± 0.0 mgKOH/g and 0.45 ± 0.1 mgKOH/g, respectively, in the presence of CTAB (cationic) or SDS (anionic).