Repeated use of immobilized lipase for monoacylglycerol production by solid‐phase glycerolysis of olive oil

By using immobilized lipase for production of monoacylglycerol (MAG) by solid‐phase glycerolysis of fats and oils, the enzyme could be recovered easily from the reaction mixture and recycled to reduce the cost of the catalyst. Several support materials (CaCO3, CaSO4·2H2O, Ca2P2O7, and Celite) were screened for immobilization of Pseudomonas sp. lipase by adsorption and tested for solid‐phase glycerolysis of olive oil. Immobilization made the reuse of enzyme feasible. CaCO3 proved to be the best support: 90% MAG (wt% in the glycerolfree reaction mixture after 72 h of reaction time) was obtained until the fifth use, 80% after the seventh use, and 60% after the tenth use. The same support was found suitable for immobilization of two other bacterial lipases from Chromobacterium viscosum and Pseudomonas pseudoalkali.