Enzymatic transesterification of rapeseed oil and lauric acid in a continuous reactor

The optimum conditions for enzymatic transesterification of rapeseed oil and lauric acid in a fixed-bed reactor were studied. No solvent was used in the reaction mixture. A small amount of water was dissolved in the substrate mixture to maintain the activity of the enzyme at as high a level as possible. For maximum yield, the transesterification was performed with a residence time of about 20 min at a water content in the range of 0.1 to 0.2% and at the lowest possible temperature.