Synthesis of Healthy Diglyceride-Rich Vegetable Oils on Basic Catalysts

C.A. FERRETTI; M.L. SPOTTI; J.I. DI COSIMO

Denver-Colorado

Congreso; 25th North American Meeting of the Catalysis Society; 2017

North American Catalysis Society

Vegetable oils are mainly composed of triglycerides (TG). Diglycerides (DG) are esters of glycerol with different forms: the asymmetrical 1,2-DG and the symmetrical 1,3-DG isomers. Compared with TG, the regular intake of DG, in particular the 1,3-DG isomer, has a positive effect in preventing bodyweight gain and obesity-related diseases [ , ]. These beneficial effects are related to its distinct metabolic pathway compared to TG and 1,2-DG rather than to a reduced energy content [2]. The metabolism of the 1,3-DG isomer avoids re-synthesis of TG and the consequent fat deposit in the body tissues. In this work we study the synthesis of DG from vegetable oils using MgO as a solid catalyst. The process comprises the glycerolysis of the oil triglycerides, according to Eq. (1):2 TG + Gly ↔ 3 DG (1)where Gly stands for glycerol. We studied the reaction conditions that selectively form the 1,3-DG isomer. We investigated the reaction pathways leading to the different glycerides and the effect of the experimental variables such as temperature and Gly/TG ratio on the shift of the reaction pathways and therefore, on the glycerolysis product composition. Also, we studied the conditions (temperature, inert gas flow rate and presence of free fatty acids) that affect both, the stability and quality of the product mixture, and the interconversion of the DG isomers.