Preparation of purified acylglycerols of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid and their re-esterification with conjugated linoleic acid

Ethanolysis of fish oil catalyzed by Pseudomonas cepacia lipase (lipase PS) was employed for the selective enrichment of omega-3 fatty acid residues in the product acylglycerols. Molecular distillation was used to remove the ethyl esters from the product mixture. Re-esterification of the product acylglycerols with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in the presence of three commercial lipases was then studied. Best results were obtained when lipase PS and a fivefold excess of CLA were employed to produce triacylglycerols containing ca. 55 mole% CLA residues and ca. 18 mole% 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic (DHA) and 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic (EPA) residues.