RESUMEN
The present study aims to evaluate the suitability of structured triacylglycerol (ST) consisting of medium chain triacylglycerol (MCT) as low calorie and instant energy source in combination with essential fatty acids for formulations in different food products to add value to existing products. The study investigates the effect of presence of ST on the physicochemical and sensory properties of various food products such as mayonnaise enriched with ST synthesized from medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) and rice bran oil, cookies enriched with ST synthesized from MCFA and oleic acid rich moringa oil, energy bar with ST synthesized from MCFA and omega 3 enriched fish oil, as well as yogurt drink with ST synthesized from MCFA and omega 6 enriched flaxseed oil. The obtained results established the suitability of incorporation of ST in food products and comparison with standard market products revealed the validity of the products to sustain the demand with value addition. The oxidative stability studies of all the products in the presence of natural antioxidants from moringa leaves and pomegranate peel using the peroxide value test and rancimat analysis demonstrated similar stability to the standard marketed product. Application of plant wastes and residues in the form of leaves or peels as the likely sources for isolating bioactive compounds demonstrates potential of the sustainable approach also giving benefit of increasing the stability of the product. The study also points towards possible replacement option for synthetic carcinogenic antioxidants with natural antioxidants obtained from moringa leaves and pomegranate peel. The present work clearly demonstrates the effective use of structured triacylglycerols synthesized using green methodologies for creating unique health enriched food products with all worthy and green components.
RESUMEN
The current work deals with ultrasound assisted intensification of synthesis of tricaprylin based on the enzyme catalyzed reaction of caprylic acid and glycerol with novel approach of using ultrasound in only the initial stages of the reaction. Two types of immobilized lipases as Lipozyme RM (Rhizomucor miehei) and Novozym 435 (Candida antarctica) have been used in the work. The effect of ultrasonic conditions such as treatment time and power as well as the reaction conditions such as substrate molar ratio, reaction time and enzyme loading on the yield of tricaprylin has been investigated. It was established that the optimum pretreatment conditions were irradiation time as 30min with ultrasonic frequency of 20kHz, supplied power of 240W, 70% duty cycle (7s on 3s off cycle) whereas the optimum reaction conditions were 4:1 molar ratio of caprylic acid to glycerol, enzyme loading as 3% and operating temperature of 50°C. It was also established that reuse of enzymes for 10 cycles was possible without any significant effect on the activity of lipase. It was also conclusively established that compared to the conventional approach of synthesis, ultrasound pretreatment based approach greatly influenced the rate of reaction and maximum tricaprylin yield of 94.8% was achieved in 7h of reaction time under the optimum conditions.