# US 12,180,530 B2 · Processes and systems for catalytic manufacture of wax ester derivatives > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,180,530 B2 - Document ID: US12180530B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/159,745 - Filed: 2023-01-26 - Published: 2023-08-03 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-19 - Assignees: Cargill, Incorporated - Applicants: Cargill, Incorporated - Inventors: Jeff Addy; James H. Brown; Clay Daly - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12180530B2 ## CPC - C12P 7/6436: Fatty acid esters - C11C 3/003: {by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols (C11C3/02 takes precedence)} - C11C 3/10: Ester interchange - C12P: FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {(brewing of beer C12C; producing vinegar C12J; producing specific peptides or proteins C07K; producing enzymes C12N9/00; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification C12N15/00; measuring or testing processes involving enzymes or microorganisms C12Q; measuring or testing processes involving nucleic acid amplification reactions C12Q1/6844; fermentation processes to form a food composition, A21 or A23; compounds in general, see the relevant compound class, e.g. C01, C07)} - C11C: FATTY ACIDS FROM FATS, OILS OR WAXES; CANDLES; FATS, OILS OR FATTY ACIDS BY CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF FATS, OILS, OR FATTY ACIDS OBTAINED THEREFROM ## Abstract Processes for transesterifying wax esters. Implementations may include: providing a feedstock including wax esters, contacting the feedstock with a lipase, and catalytically transesterifying the wax esters in the feedstock with the lipase to form a transesterified product. An oxidative stability index (OSI) of the transesterified product may be greater than an OSI of the feedstock. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process for preparing enzymatically transesterified wax esters, the process comprising: contacting a feedstock with a lipase enzyme, wherein the feedstock comprises feedstock wax esters and an antioxidant, wherein the feedstock wax esters comprise jojoba wax esters and hydrogenated jojoba wax esters, and wherein the feedstock has an oxidative stability index; and reacting the jojoba wax esters and the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters in the-feedstock using the lipase enzyme to yield a product comprising transesterified jojoba wax esters, transesterified hydrogenated jojoba wax esters, and the antioxidant, wherein the product has a product oxidative stability index that is greater than, equal to, or less than the oxidative stability index of the feedstock, wherein the product does not contain a free fatty alcohol. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the feedstock comprises 20% by weight to 50% by weight of the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the feedstock comprises 20% by weight of the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the feedstock wax esters consist essentially of the jojoba wax esters and the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the antioxidant comprises tocopherol naturally present in the feedstock. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The process of claim 5, wherein the antioxidant further comprises added tocopherol. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the lipase enzyme is a 1, 3 selective lipase. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the lipase enzyme is a lipase that operates using insertion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the process is a continuous process. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the process further comprises the step of including a percentage of the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters in the feedstock that increases the dropping point of the feedstock. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the feedstock includes 30% by weight of the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the feedstock includes 50% by weight of the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the lipase enzyme comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ. ID No. 1. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the lipase enzyme comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ. ID No. 2. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the process is a batch process. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the reacting step comprises randomizing the jojoba wax esters and the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters in the feedstock. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the oxidative stability index of the product is greater than the oxidative stability index of the feedstock. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the yield of enzymatically transesterified wax esters is greater than or equal to 98%. ### Claim 19 A process for preparing enzymatically transesterified wax esters, the process comprising: contacting a feedstock with a lipase enzyme, wherein the feedstock comprises feedstock wax esters and an antioxidant, wherein the feedstock wax esters comprise jojoba wax esters and hydrogenated jojoba wax esters, and wherein the feedstock has an oxidative stability index; and reacting the jojoba wax esters and the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters in the-feedstock using the lipase enzyme to yield a product comprising transesterified jojoba wax esters, transesterified hydrogenated jojoba wax esters, and the antioxidant, wherein the product has a product oxidative stability index that is equal to the oxidative stability index of the feedstock, wherein the product does not contain a free fatty alcohol. ### Claim 20 A process for preparing enzymatically transesterified wax esters, the process comprising: contacting a feedstock with a lipase enzyme, wherein the feedstock comprises feedstock wax esters and an antioxidant, wherein the feedstock wax esters comprise jojoba wax esters and hydrogenated jojoba wax esters, and wherein the feedstock has an oxidative stability index; and reacting the jojoba wax esters and the hydrogenated jojoba wax esters in the-feedstock using the lipase enzyme to yield a product comprising transesterified jojoba wax esters, transesterified hydrogenated jojoba wax esters, and the antioxidant, wherein the product has a product oxidative stability index that is less than the oxidative stability index of the feedstock, wherein the product does not contain a free fatty alcohol.