Enzymatic Glycerolysis of Palm Kernel Olein-Stearin Blend for Monolaurin Synthesis as an Emulsifier and Antibacterial

Monolaurin is a monoacylglycerol, which can act as an emulsifier and antibacterial. Palm kernel oil is a monolaurin raw material that can be fractionated into palm kernel olein (PKOo) and palm kernel stearin (PKS). Therefore, this study prepares monolaurin through enzymatic glycerolysis of the PKOo-PKS blend. The effects of enzyme concentration, molar ratio of oil to glycerol, solvent to oil ratio, and reaction temperature on the products of glycerolysis were investigated. The best conditions were selected for further production, purification, and characterization of the monolaurin. The results showed that the best glycerolysis condition was obtained with an enzyme concentration of 10% w/w, an oil-glycerol molar ratio of 1:4, a solvent-oil ratio of 2:1 v/w, and a glycerolysis temperature of 40 °C with a stirring speed of 600 rpm based on the monoacylglycerol (MAG) concentration. The identification of the sample with FTIR and NMR indicated that the purified glycerolysis product is the monolaurin. The thermal analysis showed a large endothermic peak with a melting point of 35.56 °C. The purified monolaurin has a HLB value of 5.92, and an emulsion capacity and stability of 93.66 ± 1.85% and 89.54 ± 3.36%, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the monolaurin for Escherichia coli FNCC 0091 and Staphylococcus aureus FNCC 0047 were at 500 ppm, and 100 ppm for Bacillus subtilis FNCC 0060.