Cocoa butter equivalent from enzymatic interesterification of tea seed oil and fatty acid methyl esters

Cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) was prepared by interesterification of tea seed oil, methyl palmitate and methyl stearate with lipase. The lipase was immobilized on macroporous resin selected from eight carriers. The rate of reaction of lipase immobilized on macroporous resin was 6.9 times higher than that of the free enzyme. After repeating application five times, 83.50% activity, of the immobilized lipase, was retained. Factors such as reaction time, temperature, water content, enzyme load and substrate ratio were studied. Three major acyls (palmitoyl, oleoyl and stearoyl) in triacylglycerols of the product were similar to those of cocoa butter. The melting range and dilatation–temperature curves of the prepared CBE were close to that of the cocoa butter.