Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Chrisanthus Thomas

James J Myrick

Robert Charles Dinwoodie

David K Hayashi

Zohar M Merchant

Richard S Silver

R G Krishnamurthy

Federico D Carvallo

Peter H Brown

Michael T Dueber

An enzymatic transesterification method for preparing a margarine oil having both low trans- acid and low intermediate chain fatty acid content is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing a transesterification reaction mixture containing a stearic acid source material and an edible liquid vegetable oil, transesterifying the stearic acid source material and the vegetable oil using a 1-, 3-positionally specific lipase, and then finally hydrogenating the fatty acid mixture to provide a recycle stearic acid source material for a recyclic reaction with the vegetable oil. Also described is a counter-current method for preparing a transesterified oil. The method includes the steps of providing a transesterification reaction zone containing a 1-, 3-positionally specific lipase, introducing a vegetable oil into the transesterification zone, introducing a stearic acid source material, conducting a supercritical gas or subcritical liquified gas counter-current fluid, carrying out a transesterification reaction of the triglyceride stream with the stearic acid or stearic acid monoester stream in the reaction zone, withdrawing a transesterified triglyceride margarine oil stream, withdrawing a counter-current fluid phase, hydrogenating the transesterified stearic acid or stearic acid monoester to provide a hydrogenated recycle stearic acid source material, and introducing the hydrogenated recycle stearic acid source material into the reaction zone.

Enzymatic method for preparing transesterified oils

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Arlington, Heights, IL, United States of America

Chrisanthus Thomas