Production of new human milk fat substitutes by enzymatic acidolysis of microalgae oils from Nannochloropsis oculata and Isochrysis galbana

Human milk fat substitutes (HMFs) with four kinds of n-3 fatty acid for infant formula were firstly synthesized using triacylglycerols (TAGs) from Nannochloropsis oculata rich in PA at the sn-2 position and free fatty acids (FFAs) from Isochrysis galbana rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs-ALA/SDA/DHA) via solvent-free acidolysis with Novozym 435, Lipozyme 435, TL-IM and RM-IM as biocatalysts. The results show that the resulting HMFs contain total n-3 PUFA of 13.92-17.12% and PA of 59.38-68.13% at the sn-2 position under the optimal conditions (mole ratio FFAs/TAG 3:1, 60°C (Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL-IM) and 50°C (Lipozyme 435 and RM-IM), lipase loading 10%, reaction time 24h). Moreover, among the tested enzymes, Lipozyme 435, TL-IM, and RM-IM display the fatty acid selectivity towards SDA, LA and ALA, and OA, respectively. Overall, the examined lipases are promising biocatalysts for producing high-value microalgal HMFs in a cost-effective manner.