High-purity 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine: synthesis and emulsifying performance evaluation

1,2-Dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) is a promising emulsifier for bioactive delivery systems, but its industrial applications are limited by the lack of cost-effective and scalable synthetic routes. The purpose of this study was to economically produce high-purity DMPC by replacing commonly used column chromatography methods and to evaluate the emulsifying performance.

DMPC was synthesized from sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine using Steglich esterification followed by sequential recrystallization from ethyl acetate and acetone. The structure of DMPC was identified and its purity was confirmed using various spectroscopy and chromatography techniques. The emulsifying performance was evaluated by examining the effects of storage on the properties of o/w emulsions prepared using soybean oil with (i) soy PC, (ii) soy PC + DMPC (1:1, w/w), and (iii) DMPC as emulsifiers.

The chemical impurities formed during the synthesis of DMPC was removed, and its final purity was 96%, and the melt transition temperature was 37.6°C. No visible difference between the three emulsions (soy PC, soy PC+DMPC, and DMPC) was observed during two-week storage, and the DMPC-based emulsion was more stable than soy PC emulsion, showing smaller particle size distribution during 6 months.

The highly pure DMPC was synthesized by an economical method, and DMPC-based emulsions demonstrated physicochemical stable, highlighting its potential for food and pharmaceutical industry-related applications. Our findings suggest that DMPC holds promise as an emulsifier with broad applications in the food industry.