Synthesis of Oleyl Oleate with Immobilized Lipase from Mucor miehei

The synthesis of oleyl oleate with immobilized 1,3‐specific lipase from Mucor miehei is presented in this article. Oleyl alcohol was esterified with oleic acid in the presence of a Mucor miehei lipase (lipozymeIM) to obtain oleyl oleate. The effects of various temperatures and various enzyme/substrate ratios have been investigated to determine optimal conditions for the esterification process. The highest conversion of oleic acid 86.9 % was obtained at 50°C. The optimal addition of lipase to substrates was determined to be 0.1 g per gram of reaction mixture. The esterification can be modeled successfully as a reverse second‐order reaction. Thermodynamic properties of the reaction system at 50°C were also determined. Activation energy was 14.65 kJ/mol, entropy of activation –0.8 J/mol·K and free energy of activation was 98.568 kJ/mol.