Process for producing dietary sterol fatty acid esters

A process for producing a dietary sterol fatty acid ester comprising adding a lipolytic enzyme to a mixture of a sterol-containing fraction and a fat and oil primarily comprising triacylglycerol to produce a sterol fatty acid ester and then purifying the sterol fatty acid ester through a predetermined purification process, the process comprising:

• providing, as a source of sterols, a vegetable oil deodorizer distillate which is produced in the deodorization process of a vegetable oil;
• performing hydrolysis of fatty acid esters in the vegetable oil deodorizer distillate;
• performing a first molecular distillation to primarily remove fatty acids to collect a sterol-containing fraction;
• performing a synthetic reaction of a sterol fatty acid ester using a mixture of the sterol-containing fraction and a fat and oil primarily comprising triacylglycerol as a starting material, with a lipolytic enzyme for a predetermined time period under the conditions where temperature and water content are controlled;
• as a first purification step, performing a second molecular distillation to primarily remove unreacted sterols and fatty acids;
• as a second purification step, treating the resulting product with an adsorbent to primarily remove coloring components;
• and then
• as a third purification step, performing steam distillation to primarily remove odorous components, while controlling the temperature for the purification to prevent the production of trans fatty acids,
• the sterol fatty acid ester being superior in physical properties, flavor properties and safety for food.

A process for enzymatically producing a dietary sterol fatty acid ester comprising adding a lipolytic enzyme to a mixture of a starting material containing sterols and a fat and oil primarily comprising triacylglycerol to produce a sterol fatty acid ester and then purifying the sterol fatty acid ester in a predetermined purification process, the process comprising:

• providing, as a starting material, a vegetable oil deodorizer distillate which is produced in the deodorization process of a vegetable oil;
• performing hydrolysis of fatty acid esters in the vegetable oil deodorizer distillate;
• performing a synthetic reaction of a sterol fatty acid ester from the mixture with a lipolytic enzyme capable of selectively acting on cis fatty acids for a predetermined time period under the conditions where temperature and water content are controlled;
• as a first purification step, performing molecular distillation to primarily remove unreacted sterols and fatty acids;
• as a second purification step, treating the resulting product with an adsorbent to primarily remove coloring components;
• and then
• as a third purification step, performing steam distillation to primarily remove odorous components,
• the sterol fatty acid ester being superior in flavor properties and safety.