Nanoemulsion with wine lees: a green approach.

Bioactive substances can be found in wine lees, a waste from the winemaking industry. This work developed two formulations, a nanoemulsion with coconut oil (NE-OC) and a nanoemulsion with coconut oil and 0.5% of wine lees extract (NE-OC-Ext), to investigate their effect on untreated, bleached, and bleached-colored hair. The oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions were prepared with coconut oil, TweenTM 80, SpanTM 80, AristoflexTM AVC, Conserve NovaMit MFTM, wine lees extract, and deionized water. The hydration measurements were carried out using a Corneometer® CM 825 with the capacitance method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to characterize the effect of formulations on hair fibers. Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) was to assess the thermal stability and compatibility of wine lees and coconut oil in formulations. Compared to NE-OC, NE-OC-Ext showed a greater hydration effect on bleached-colored hair. DTA showed that NE-OC-Ext presented a smaller number of exothermic degradation events than those of NE-OC, suggesting good interaction and compatibility of the wine lees extract in this formulation. This study highlights the value of wine lees, a residue from the winemaking process, and its possibility of use as raw material for the cosmetic hair industry since it shows a greater moisturizing potential in colored hair.

On the structural and mechanical properties of mixed coconut and olive oil oleogels and bigels.

The interaction of monoglycerides and phytosterols in olive- and coconut oil on the structuring of oleogels was analyzed. Specifically, bigels with gelatin hydrogel in different ratios (40:60 and 60:40 w/w) were formed. The physicochemical and microstructural attributes of these systems were assessed. The olive oil to coconut oil ratio (0-100 w/w) and the added oleogelators affected the crystal structure and the mechanical properties of the oleogels. Polarized light microscopy revealed that the addition of coconut oil created a denser triglycerides crystal network and the presence of phytosterols created more needle-like crystals, enhancing the textural properties of the oleogels and of the resulting bigels. The hardness of the oleogels ranged from 0.50 N to 1.24 N and for bigels was 5.96-36.75 N. Bigels hardness decreased as the oleogel ratio in the bigel increased. Microscopy and FTIR revealed that the addition of coconut oil in oleogels hampered the formation of a distinct crystalline monoglycerides network. Also, the absence of new peaks in the bigels indicated that the two structured phases interact with each other mostly physically, without the formation of new chemical bonds. Consequently, the oleogels and bigels developed, comprise a promising hard fat substitute with improved nutritional profile.

Double-layer microcapsules based on shellac for enhancing probiotic survival during freeze drying, storage, and simulated gastrointestinal digestion.

Probiotics are susceptible to diverse conditions during processing, storage, and digestion. Here, shellac (SC), sodium alginate (SA), coconut oil (CO), soybean oil (SO), and trehalose (AL) were used to prepare microcapsules aiming to improve the survival of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KLDS1.0318 during freeze-drying, storage process, and gastrointestinal digestion. The results showed that for SA/AL/SC/CO and SA/AL/SC/SO, the survival loss decreased by 51.2 % and 51.0 % after a freeze-drying process compared with microcapsules embedded by SA; the viable bacteria count loss decreased by 4.36 and 4.24 log CFU/mL compared with free cell (CON) during storage for 28 d under 33%RH at 25 °C, respectively; while for simulating digestion in vitro, the survival loss decreased by 3.05 and 2.70 log CFU/mL, 0.63 and 0.55 log CFU/mL after digestion at simulated gastric fluid for 120 min and small intestine fluid for 180 min, respectively (P < 0.05). After microcapsules were added to fermented dairy stored at 4 °C for 21 d, the viable bacteria count of SA/AL/SC/CO and SA/AL/SC/SO significantly increased by 2.10 and 1.70 log CFU/mL compared with CON, respectively (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the current study indicated that shellac-based probiotic microcapsules have superior potential to protect and deliver probiotics in food systems.

Topical Nanoemulsion Hydrogel Formulated from Supercritical Fluid Extracted Palm-Pressed Fiber Oil and Virgin Coconut Oil with Antioxidant and Antibacterial Effects.

Skincare industries are growing rapidly around the globe but most products are formulated using synthetic chemicals and organic solvent extracted plant extracts, thus may be hazardous to the users and incur higher cost for purification that eventually leads to phytonutrient degradation. Therefore, this study aimed to formulate a stable natural formulation with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities by using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO 2 ) extracted palm-pressed fiber oil (PPFO) as an active ingredient with virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a formulation base. PPFO was extracted from fresh palm-pressed fiber (PPF) while VCO was from dried grated coconut copra using SC-CO 2 before being subjected to the analyses of physicochemical properties, phytonutrient content and biological activities including antioxidant and antimicrobial. The nanoemulgel formulations were then developed and examined for their stability through accelerated stability study for 3 months by measuring their pH, particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential. The results showed that PPFO contained a high amount of phytonutrients, especially total carotenoid (1497 ppm) and total tocopherol and tocotrienol (2269 ppm) contents. The newly developed nanoemulgels maintained their particles in nano size and showed good stability with high negative zeta potentials. Sample nanoemulgel formulated with 3% PPFO diluted in VCO as effective concentration showed significantly stronger antioxidant activity than the control which was formulated from 3% tocopheryl acetate diluted in mineral oil, towards DPPH and ABTS radicals, with IC 50 values of 67.41 and 44.28 µL/mL, respectively. For the antibacterial activities, the sample nanoemulgel was found to inhibit Gram positive bacteria S. aureus and S. epidermidis growth but not the Gram negative strain E. coli. Overall, this study revealed the potential of SF-extracted PPFO as an active ingredient in the antioxidant topical formulations thus future study on in vitro skin cell models is highly recommended for validation.

Chitosan/Virgin-Coconut-Oil-Based System Enriched with Cubosomes: A 3D Drug-Delivery Approach.

Emulsion-based systems that combine natural polymers with vegetable oils have been identified as a promising research avenue for developing structures with potential for biomedical applications. Herein, chitosan (CHT), a natural polymer, and virgin coconut oil (VCO), a resource obtained from coconut kernels, were combined to create an emulsion system. Phytantriol-based cubosomes encapsulating sodium diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug, were further dispersed into CHT/VCO- based emulsion. Then, the emulsions were frozen and freeze-dried to produce scaffolds. The scaffolds had a porous structure ranging from 20.4 to 73.4 µm, a high swelling ability (up to 900%) in PBS, and adequate stiffness, notably in the presence of cubosomes. Moreover, a well-sustained release of the entrapped diclofenac in the cubosomes into the CHT/VCO-based system, with an accumulated release of 45 ± 2%, was confirmed in PBS, compared to free diclofenac dispersed (80 ± 4%) into CHT/VCO-based structures. Overall, the present approach opens up new avenues for designing porous biomaterials for drug delivery through a sustainable pathway.

Physicochemical characterization and fatty acid profiles of testa oils from various coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) genotypes.

BACKGROUND: Cocos nucifera (L.) is an important plantation crop with immense but untapped nutraceutical potential. Despite its bioactive potential, the biochemical features of testa oils of various coconut genotypes are poorly understood. Hence, in this study, the physicochemical characteristics of testa oils extracted from six coconut genotypes - namely West Coast Tall (WCT), Federated Malay States Tall (FMST), Chowghat Orange Dwarf (COD), Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD), and two Dwarf × Dwarf (D × D hybrids) viz., Cameroon Red Dwarf (CRD) × Ganga Bondam Green Dwarf (GBGD) and MYD × Chowghat Green Dwarf (CGD) - were analyzed. RESULTS: The proportion of testa in the nuts (fruits) (1.29-3.42%), the proportion of oil in the testa (40.97-50.56%), and biochemical components in testa oils - namely proxidant elements Fe (34.17-62.48 ppm) and Cu (1.63-2.77 ppm), and the total phenolic content (6.84-8.67 mg GAE/100 g), and phytosterol content (54.66-137.73 mg CE/100 g) varied depending on the coconut genotypes. The saturated fatty acid content of testa oils (67.75 to 78.78%) was lower in comparison with that of coconut kernel oils. Similarly, the lauric acid (26.66-32.04%), myristic (18.31-19.60%), and palmitic acid (13.43-15.71%,) content of testa oils varied significantly in comparison with the coconut kernel oils (32-51%, 17-21% and 6.9-14%, respectively). Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis revealed the presence of 18 phenolic acids in coconut testa oil. Multivariate analysis revealed the biochemical attributes that defined the principal components loadings. Hierarchical clustering analysis of the genotypes showed two distinct clusters. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the genotypic variations in the nutritionally important biochemical components of coconut testa oils. The relatively high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and polyphenol content in testa oils warrant further investigation to explore their nutraceutical potential. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Production of Cocoa Butter Substitute via Enzymatic Interesterification of Fully Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Coconut Oil and Fully Hydrogenated Palm Stearin Blends.

This research synthesized structure lipids (SL) from blends of fully hydrogenated palm kernel oil (FHPKO), coconut oil (CNO) and fully hydrogenated palm stearin (FHPS) by enzymatic interesterification (EIE)using rProROL, an sn-1,3-specific lipase from Rhizopus oryzae, as a catalyst. Five physical blends of FHPKO:CNO:FHPS were prepared with the following wt. ratios: 40:10:50, 50:10:40, 60:10:30, 70:10:20 and 80:10:10. The EIE reactions were carried out at 60℃ for 6 h in a batch-type reactor using rProROL 10% wt. of the substrate. It was found that EIE significantly modified the triacylglycerol compositions of the fat blends resulting in changes in the crystallization and melting behavior. In particular, SL obtained from EIE of blend 70:10:20 exhibited high potential to be used as a cocoa butter substitute (CBS) because it showed similar solid fat content curve to the commercial CBS and crystallized into fine spherulites and desirable ß' polymorph.

Hot-processed virgin coconut oil abrogates cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by restoring redox balance in rats compared to fermentation-processed virgin coconut oil.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a functional food oil prepared from fresh coconut kernel either by hot-processed (HPVCO) or fermentation-processed (FPVCO). The FPVCO has been widely explored for its pharmacological efficacy; while HPVCO, which has traditional uses, is less explored. The present study compared the phenolic content and nephroprotective effect of both these oils in male Wistar rats. In vitro antioxidant activity was estimated in terms of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power and ex vivo lipid peroxidation inhibition. In in vivo models, the rats were pretreated orally with of FPVCO or HPVCO (doses 2 and 4 mL/kg) for seven days and nephrotoxicity was induced by the single intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin (10 mg/kg). The results indicated significantly higher polyphenol content in HPVCO (400.3 ± 5.8 µg/mL) than that of FPVCO (255.5 ± 5.8 µg/mL). Corroborating with the increased levels of polyphenols, the in vitro antioxidant potential was significantly higher in the HPVCO. Further, pretreatment with these VCO preparations protected the rats against the cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, with higher extent by HPVCO. The renal function markers like urea, creatinine and total bilirubin were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) with HPVCO pretreatment. Apart from the nephroprotective effects, HPVCO also abrogated the cisplatin-induced myelosuppression and hepatotoxicity. The restoration of hepato-renal function by the pretreatment of HPVCO was well corroborated with the improvement in functional antioxidants and subsequent reduction in renal lipid peroxidation. Supporting these observations, renal histology revealed reduced glomerular/tubular congestion and necrosis. Thus, the study concludes that HPVCO may be better functional food than FPVCO.

An Intricate Review on Nutritional and Analytical Profiling of Coconut, Flaxseed, Olive, and Sunflower Oil Blends.

Vegetable oils (VOs), being our major dietary fat source, play a vital role in nourishment. Different VOs have highly contrasting fatty acid (FA) profiles and hence possess varying levels of health protectiveness. Consumption of a single VO cannot meet the recommended allowances of various FA either from saturated FA (SFA), monounsaturated FA (MUFA), polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), Ω-3 PUFAs, and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). Coconut oil (CO), flaxseed oil (FO), olive oil (OO), and sunflower oil (SFO) are among the top listed contrast VOs that are highly appreciated based on their rich contents of SFAs, Ω-3 PUFAs, MUFAs, and Ω-6 PUFA, respectively. Besides being protective against various disease biomarkers, these contrasting VOs are still inappropriate when consumed alone in 100% of daily fat recommendations. This review compiles the available data on blending of such contrasting VOs into single tailored blended oil (BO) with suitable FA composition to meet the recommended levels of SFA, MUFA, PUFA, MCTs, and Ω-3 to Ω-6 PUFA ratios which could ultimately serve as a cost-effective dietary intervention towards the health protectiveness and improvement of the whole population in general. The blending of any two or more VOs from CO, FO, OO, and SFO in the form of binary, ternary, or another type of blending was found to be very conclusive towards balancing FA composition; enhancing physiochemical and stability properties; and promising the therapeutic protectiveness of the resultant BOs.

Potato starch altered the rheological, printing, and melting properties of 3D-printable fat analogs based on inulin emulsion-filled gels.

Plant-based oil inks that imitate the texture and melting behavior of traditional animal fats using 3D printing have been developed. The influence of the incorporation of potato starch and the type of oil on rheology and meltability was investigated. The results showed that the dynamic modulus and hardness of fat analogs increased, whereas fat analog meltability decreased with an increase in potato starch content. Coconut oil and soybean oil-containing fat analogs incorporated with proper potato starch levels exhibited good printability and similar meltability to commercial beef and pork fats. The addition of potato starch suppressed fat analog meltability as it disrupted the inulin matrix. Fat analogs containing coconut oil could be texturized at temperatures lower than those required for their soybean oil counterparts. The fat analogs were solid at room temperature, demonstrated good printability, and imitated the melting behavior of fat contained in real meat throughout the cooking process.

A comprehensive review on the techniques for coconut oil extraction and its application.

Virgin coconut oil is a useful substance in our daily life. It contains a high percentage of lauric acid which has many health benefits. The current industry has developed several methods to extract the oil out from the coconut fruit. This review paper aims to highlight several common extraction processes used in modern industries that includes cold extraction, hot extraction, low-pressure extraction, chilling, freezing and thawing method, fermentation, centrifugation, enzymatic extraction and supercritical fluid carbon dioxide. Different extraction methods will produce coconut oil with different yields and purities of lauric acid, thus having different uses and applications. Challenges that are faced by the industries in extracting the coconut oil using different methods of extraction are important to be explored so that advancement in the oil extraction technology can be done for efficient downstream processing. This study is vital as it provides insights that could enhance the production of coconut oil.

Variations in natural polyphenols determine the anti-inflammatory potential of virgin coconut oils.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO), an edible oil prepared from fresh coconut kernel by natural or mechanical means without undergoing chemical refining, has been in the limelight of research as functional food oil. The phenolic components in VCO have been accredited with these pharmacological benefits. The present study compared the phenolic constituents of freshly prepared fermentation processed (FVCO) and hot-pressed VCO (HVCO) and their anti-inflammatory efficacies. The biochemical analysis documented quantitative variation in the phenolic content, being higher in HVCO than FVCO (40.03 ± 5.8 µg and 25.55 ± 5.8 µg/mL of oil, respectively). In vitro studies observed nitric oxide radical scavenging efficacy (IC50 value of 14.84 ± 0.81 µg/mL) for HVCO polyphenols, which shows higher inhibition efficacy than FVCO (29.41 ± 1.7 µg/mL). In dextran and formalin mediated acute and chronic inflammation in mice, HVCO displayed more protective efficacy (40.5 and 46.4% inhibition) than FVCO (33.3 and 43.8% inhibition), which is similar to the standard diclofenac (55.6 and 59.8% inhibition). The study, thus, concludes that compared to FVCO, HVCO is a more active anti-inflammatory agent. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Virgin coconut oil, a widely used edible oil in South Asian countries, has been shown to have health benefits possibly exerted by the natural phenolics it contains. However, different modes of preparations of VCO determine the phenolic combinations and efficacy as well. Our study compared two different VCO preparations and suggests that the VCO prepared by the traditional way (HVCO) is pharmacologically potent than that prepared by simple fermentation process (FVCO) in reducing inflammation. The efficacy is attributed to the variations in phenolic profile revealed by LC-MS analysis. Hence, the current study suggests HVCO as a potential food supplement that can reduce the incidence of degenerative diseases.

Encapsulation of lipophilic polyphenols in plant-based nanoemulsions: impact of carrier oil on lipid digestion and curcumin, resveratrol and quercetin bioaccessibility.

Lipophilic polyphenol compounds (LPCs) are claimed to exhibit a broad spectrum of biological activities that may improve human health and wellbeing, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties. Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems have been developed to encapsulate LPCs so as to increase their food matrix compatibility, physicochemical stability, and bioavailability. LPCs vary in their structural features, including the number and position of phenolic hydroxyl, ketone, and aliphatic groups, which results in different molecular, physicochemical, and gastrointestinal properties. In this study, we examined the impact of plant-based carrier oils (coconut, sunflower, and flaxseed oils) and LPC type (curcumin, resveratrol, and quercetin) on the in vitro gastrointestinal fate of polyphenols loaded into quillaja saponin-stabilized nanoemulsions. Coconut oil contains high levels of medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MC-SFAs), sunflower oil contains high levels of long-chain monounsaturated fatty acids (LC-MUFAs), and flaxseed oil contains high levels of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). The encapsulation efficiency and gastrointestinal stability of the LPCs were slightly lower in the MC than the LC oils. Differences in the gastrointestinal stability of the three LPCs were linked to differences in their oil-water partition coefficients. Some of the LPCs inhibited lipid digestion for certain oil types. In particular, resveratrol retarded the digestion of all three oils, but it still had the highest GIT stability and bioaccessibility. This study provides valuable information about the gastrointestinal fate of LPC-loaded nanoemulsions and highlights important differences in the behavior of LPCs with different characteristics. This knowledge may facilitate the design of more effective plant-based delivery systems for bioactive lipophilic polyphenols.

Thermal Charging Optimization of a Wavy-Shaped Nano-Enhanced Thermal Storage Unit.

A wavy shape was used to enhance the thermal heat transfer in a shell-tube latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) unit. The thermal storage unit was filled with CuO-coconut oil nano-enhanced phase change material (NePCM). The enthalpy-porosity approach was employed to model the phase change heat transfer in the presence of natural convection effects in the molten NePCM. The finite element method was applied to integrate the governing equations for fluid motion and phase change heat transfer. The impact of wave amplitude and wave number of the heated tube, as well as the volume concertation of nanoparticles on the full-charging time of the LHTES unit, was addressed. The Taguchi optimization method was used to find an optimum design of the LHTES unit. The results showed that an increase in the volume fraction of nanoparticles reduces the charging time. Moreover, the waviness of the tube resists the natural convection flow circulation in the phase change domain and could increase the charging time.

Tea polyphenols encapsulated in W/O/W emulsions with xanthan gum-locust bean gum mixture: Evaluation of their stability and protection.

Herein, improvement of the stability of the water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions by addition of xanthan gum (XG)/locust bean gum (LBG) mixture in the inner water phase was aimed. The impact of XG/LBG mixture on the physical stability, microstructure and rheological properties of W/O/W emulsions was investigated. It was found that, compared with the control emulsions, the presence of XG/LBG mixture could improve the stability of W/O/W emulsions against coalescence. The tea polyphenols (TPPs) and XG/LBG mixture were simultaneously included in the internal aqueous phase of the double emulsion and stored at 25 and 40 °C in the dark for 28 d. The results showed that XG/LBG mixture not only had a protective role for TPPs encapsulated in the internal water phase, but also maintained more than 50% of the antioxidant capacity of TPPs.

Hepatoprotective effect of polyphenols isolated from virgin coconut oil against sub-chronic cadmium hepatotoxicity in rats is associated with improvement in antioxidant defense system.

Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous non-essential environmental and industrial toxicant that affects various organs in humans and experimental animals. Robust evidence confirms the contribution of oxidative stress to the pathogenesis of Cd-induced hepatic damage. Potent polyphenols found in virgin coconut oil (VCO) are free radical scavengers that may be beneficial against Cd hepatotoxicity. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the possible protective effect of polyphenols isolated from VCO on Cd-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats. Rats were pretreated with polyphenols isolated from VCO (10, 20, and 50 mg/kg, orally) 2 weeks prior to concurrent Cd administration (5 mg/kg, orally) for 5 weeks. Subsequently, liver damage, hepatic oxidative stress, and histopathological alterations were evaluated. In vitro antioxidant assays (DPPH and FRAP) were carried out on VCO polyphenols. Cadmium induced liver damage demonstrated by significant alterations in serum markers of liver damage, as well as pronounced decrease in albumin and total protein compared to control. Further, Cd remarkably depressed hepatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione (GSH) content. Hepatic lipid peroxidation was markedly increased as highlighted by malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Sub-chronic administration of VCO polyphenols to Cd-treated rats produced a significant hepatoprotective effect and restored hepatic oxidative stress markers comparable to control. The prominent improvement in histopathology of rat liver confirmed the biochemical findings. The findings suggest potential beneficial effect of VCO polyphenols on Cd-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats; the mechanism underlying this action is associated with improvement in antioxidant defense system.

Protective Effects of Cocos Nucifera Oil in Paraphenylene Diamine Toxicity.

BACKGROUND: Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is a highly toxic compound used for hair-dyeing worldwide. PPD self-poisoning had significantly increased in recent times with increased mortality rates. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the toxic effects of PPD and the protective potential of its prospective antidote Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera). METHODS: PPD was identified and validated by FT-IR and UV mass spectrometer. PPD toxicity was induced in-vivo by single intraperitoneal injection (40 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg). Single-injection of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) was administered in the presence of PPD at doses of 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg. Blood was analyzed for renal, hepatic and cardiac biomarkers. Relevant organs were collected, weighed and preserved for histopathological examination. Statistical analysis was carried out to note mortality rate, survival duration and serum biochemical parameter. Molecular docking studies were performed to assess attachment of PPD with histaminergic receptors. RESULTS: PPD injection achieved 100% mortality rate with short survival span, and disturbed hepatic, renal, and cardiac serum markers with marked histopathological changes. VCO notably decreased mortality rate, raised treatment time window with marked adjustment in hepatic, renal, and cardiac markers. Docking studies proved that PPD attaches robustly with histaminergic receptors. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that VCO possesses lifesaving protection against PPD toxicity and can be a suitable antidote.

Chemical composition and health benefits of coconut oil: an overview.

Coconut oil is an integral part of Sri Lankan and many South Asian diets. Initially, coconut oil was classified along with saturated fatty acid food items and criticized for its negative impact on health. However, research studies have shown that coconut oil is a rich source of medium-chain fatty acids. Thus, this has opened new prospects for its use in many fields. Beyond its usage in cooking, coconut oil has attracted attention due to its hypocholesterolemic, anticancer, antihepatosteatotic, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and skin moisturizing properties. Despite all the health benefits, consumption of coconut oil is still underrated due to a lack of supportive scientific evidence. Even though studies done in Asian countries claim a favorable impact on cardiac health and serum lipid profile, the limitations in the number of studies conducted among Western countries impede the endorsement of the real value of coconut oil. Hence, long-term extensive studies with proper methodologies are suggested to clear all the controversies and misconceptions of coconut oil consumption. This review discusses the composition and functional properties of coconut oils extracted using various processing methods. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Enzymatic transesterification of coconut oil by using immobilized lipase on biochar: An experimental and molecular docking study.

Guava seed biochar appears as a new alternative of the effective support to the immobilization of Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL) by physical adsorption. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of this immobilized biocatalyst in the transesterification reaction of crude coconut oil and ethanol and to understand the mechanism of the reaction through the study of molecular docking. The best loading of BCL was determined to be 0.15 genzyme /gsupport having a hydrolytic activity of 260 U/g and 54% immobilization yield. The products of transesterification reaction produced a maximum yield at 40 °C under different reaction conditions. The monoacylglycerols (MAGs) conversion of 59% was using substrate molar ratio oil:ethanol of 1:7 with the reaction time of 24 H. In addition, the highest ethyl esters yield (48%) had the molar ratio of 1:7 with the reaction time of 96 H and maximum conversion of diacylglycerols (DAGs) was 30% with the molar ratio of 1:6 with the reaction time of 24 H. Molecular Docking was applied to clarify the mechanisms of transesterification reaction at the molecular level. MAGs and DAGs are compounds with excellent emulsifying properties used in industrial production of several bioproducts such as cosmetic, pharmaceuticals, foods, and lubricants.