Enzymatic Synthesis of Functional Structured Lipids from Glycerol and Naturally Phenolic Antioxidants

Glycerol is a valuable by-product in biodiesel production by transesterification, hydrolysis reaction, and soap manufacturing by saponification. The conversion of glycerol into value-added products has attracted growing interest due to the dramatic growth of the biodiesel industry in recent years. Especially, phenolic structured lipids have been widely studied due to their influence on food quality, which have antioxidant properties for the lipid food preservation. Actually, they are triacylglycerols that have been modified with phenolic acids to change their positional distribution in glycerol backbone by enzymatically catalyzed reactions. Due to lipases’ fatty acid selectivity and regiospecificity, lipase-catalyzed reactions have been promoted for offering the advantage of greater control over the positional distribution of fatty acids in glycerol backbone. Moreover, microreactors were applied in a wide range of enzymatic applications. Nowadays, phenolic structured lipids have attracted attention for their applications in cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries, which definitely provide attributes that consumers will find valuable. Therefore, it is important that further research be conducted that will allow for better understanding and more control over the various esterification/ transesterification processes and reduction in costs associated with large-scale production of the bioconversion of glycerol. The investigated approach is a promising and environmentally safe route for value-added products from glycerol.