Recycling lipases as a promising strategy in sponge cake development

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Biocatalysis
• Enzyme Technology

Background:

• Lipases can modify rapeseed oil to produce mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (MDGs) and free fatty acids (FFAs).
• These compounds enhance softness in sponge cakes, offering a clean-label alternative to synthetic additives.
• Enzymatic modification requires an emulsification process, allowing for lipase recovery and reuse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of recycling lipases in rapeseed oil modification.
• To evaluate the impact of lipase recycling on enzyme activity and product selectivity.
• To assess the effect of recycled, modified oils on sponge cake texture and shelf-life.

Main Methods:

• Enzymatic modification of rapeseed oil using lipases in a biphasic system.
• Monitoring lipase activity and molecular changes using Acid Value, 13C NMR, and 1H NMR over 25 cycles.
• Incorporating modified oils into sponge cake formulations and evaluating texture during 3 months of storage.

Main Results:

• Lipase activity showed a decrease in triglyceride conversion (-56%) over 25 cycles, with altered selectivity favoring FFAs.
• Glycerol accumulation at the oil-water interface potentially explains the observed changes.
• Sponge cakes made with modified oils retained softness for 3 months, outperforming the control (hardened by +104% vs. +26-45%).

Conclusions:

• Lipase recycling is an effective strategy for producing food-grade emulsifiers from rapeseed oil.
• The process maintains desirable product properties, such as sponge cake softness, over extended storage.
• Enzyme recycling offers an economically advantageous and sustainable approach in food ingredient manufacturing.