Lipase‐catalyzed oil hydrolysis in the absence of added emulsifier

Current industrial fat splitting employs the energy expensive Colgate-Emery process' which utilizes steam of ca. 700 psi at 480F to hydrolyze ester bonds. This process not only costs energy but also produces an undesirable color impurity that must be separated from the fatty acid products. These problems can be overcome by hydrolyzing oil with lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.3) at room temperature under atmospheric pressure. An example of industrial application of lipase in manufacturing soap from oil has recently been reported in Japan.'