Kraft General Foods, Inc.

Peter H Brown

James J Myrick

Robert Charles Dinwoodie

David K Hayashi

Zohar M Merchant

Richard S Silver

R G Krishnamurthy

Michael T Dueber

Federico D Carvallo

Chrisanthus Thomas

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

Growing community of inventors

Morton Grove, IL, United States of America

Peter H Brown