Recovery of hydroxy fatty acids from lesquerella oil with lipases

Two hydroxy acids, lesquerolic (53 wt%) and auricolic (4%), are present at significant quantities inLesquerella fendleri seed oil. Results reported here indicate the selective release of hydroxy fatty acids during hydrolysis of this oil catalyzed byRhizopus arrhizus lipase. For example, hydroxy acids composed 85–90 wt% of the free fatty acids released during lipolysis, as compared to 54% present overall in the oil. In addition, over 80% of the lesquerolic acid is released from the triglycerides. The reason for this lipase’s success was determined to be its 1,3‐positional specificity. The vast majority of lesquerella oil’s hydroxy acids is at the 1‐ and 3‐positions of its triglycerides, as confirmed by the compositional analysis of partial glycerides formed during lipolysis.