Process for producing sterol or stanol esters by enzymatic transesterification in solvent and water free media

Abstract

A process for producing steryl or stanyl esters, comprises the steps of: a) forming a reacting mixture by contacting a lipase with a reactant mixture wherein the reactant mixture comprise sterols or stanols and one or more esters selected from the group consisting of esters of a fatty acid with a short chain aliphatic alcohol; b) separating the lipase from the reacting mixture to form a reacted mixture; and c) separating steryl or stanyl esters from the reacted mixture. The reaction is carried out in stirred reactors at pressures below atmospheric pressure and temperatures from 30 to 90° C. The separation of esters from the reacted mixtures is carried out by distillation at low pressures. A process for esterifying sterols or stanols comprise forming a reacting mixture by contacting a lipase with a reactant mixture wherein the reactant mixture comprise sterols or stanols and one or more esters selected from the group consisting of esters of a fatty acid with a short chain aliphatic alcohol. The reaction of esterification is carried out in stirred reactors at pressures below atmospheric pressure and temperatures from 30 to 90° C.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.