Insight into the medium-long-medium structured lipids made from Camellia oil: Composition-structure relationship

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Lipid Science
• Nutraceuticals

Background:

• Medium-long-medium (MLM) structured lipids (SLs) are emerging functional ingredients with potential in food and nutraceuticals.
• The relationship between the composition, structure, and physicochemical properties of MLM SLs is not well-established for the food industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize MLM type of medium-long chain triacylglycerol (MLCT) from Camellia oil using a combi-lipase.
• To investigate the physicochemical properties and composition-structure relationship of the synthesized MLM SLs.
• To establish a practical method for producing MLM-type SLs from edible oils and fats.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of MLCT from Camellia oil using combi-lipase with optimized parameters.
• Physicochemical characterization of SLs, including thermal properties, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and crystal morphology.
• Joint characterization and 3D structural analysis to identify specific lipid components (e.g., CaLCa, CaOCa, LCaL, LCL) and their structural attributes.

Main Results:

• Achieved high productivities for MLCT (67.24%) and MLM SLs (52.71%) after parameter optimization.
• Characterized SLs exhibited mild thermal properties, intermediate FTIR absorption intensity, and favorable crystal morphology.
• Identified key components like CaLCa, CaOCa, LCaL, and LCL in MLM and long-medium-long SLs, linked to caprylic and linoleic acid proportions and enzyme specificity.
• 3D structural analysis revealed lower steric energy and symmetrical structures at the 1,3-position for identified lipid molecules.

Conclusions:

• The study successfully synthesized MLM-type structured lipids from edible oils, elucidating their composition-structure-physicochemical property relationships.
• The findings provide a practical and optimized method for producing MLM-type SLs, paving the way for their application in functional foods and nutraceuticals.
• Understanding the molecular structure and properties of these SLs is crucial for their targeted application in the food industry.