Lipases are the most widely used class of enzymes in organic synthesis. Enzymatic processes have been implemented in a broad range of industries as they are specific, save raw materials, energy and chemicals, environmentally friendly and fast in action compared to conventional processes. The most notable benefit is the moderate process temperature and pressure with no unwanted side reactions. In the past two decades, intensive research was carried out towards enzymatic synthesis of oleochemicals. This review has a sharp focus on the current implemented enzymatic processes for producing different oleochemicals such as fatty acids, glycerin, biodiesel, biolubricant and different alkyl esters via different processes including hydrolysis, esterification, transesterification and intraesterification.

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The lipid and fatty acid compositions of the muscle and liver of adult and juvenile black rockfish, Sebastes schlegeli, and that of its stomach contents were examined to clarify its lipid characteristic and the difference between aquacultured and wild samples. Triacylglycerols were the dominant depot lipids of all samples, while phospholipids, such as phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, were found to be the major components in the polar lipids. The cultured juvenile and young samples had high levels of 18:2n-6 (linoleic acid, 5.0% and 4.0–5.9% for TAG of juvenile and young samples) with low levels of 22:6n-3 (docosahexaenoic acid: DHA, 9.7% and 3.3–6.7% for TAG of juvenile and young samples), whereas the adults (both cultured and wild) had only trace levels of 18:2n-6 (0.6–1.3% and 1.0–1.3% for TAG of cultured and wild samples) with noticeable levels of DHA (3.3–19.7% and 5.2–11.9% for TAG of cultured and wild samples). Similar to the fatty acid profiles in TAG of both cultured and wild adult samples, those in the phospholipids of both the samples were very similar to each other. The lipid characteristics of the cultured adult S. schlegeli samples were similar to those of the wild ones, whose muscle phospholipids contained markedly high levels of DHA (38.3–40.2% for cultured and 40.1–43.5% for wild). Therefore, the nutritional values of cultured and wild adult S. schlegeli are expected to be similar.

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The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS) of tadalafil (TDL) in order to enhance its aqueous solubility and dissolution rate. TDL SNEDDS were developed by aqueous phase titration method via construction of pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. The formulations which passed thermodynamic stability and self-nanoemulsification tests were further characterized in terms of droplet size, viscosity, % transmittance and drug content. Selected SNEDDS and drug suspension were subjected to in vitro drug release studies via dialysis membrane in phosphate buffer (pH 6.8). In vitro drug release studies showed 96.6% release of TDL from optimized SNEDDS F5 as compared to only 12.4% from drug suspension after 24 h of study. The results of solubility studies showed 1434 folds enhancement in TDL solubility from optimized SNEDDS F5 as compared to its aqueous solubility. Overall, these results indicated that developed SNEDDS could be successfully used to enhance solubility and dissolution rate of poorly soluble drugs such as TDL.

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The volatile oil from Boletopsis leucomelas (Pers.) Fayod was extracted by hydrodistillation with diethylether, and the volatile components of the oil were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The oil contained 86 components, representing 87.5% of the total oil. The main components of the oil were linoleic acid (15.0%), phenylacetaldehyde (11.2%), and palmitic acid (9.4%). Furthermore, sulfur-containing compounds including 3-thiophenecarboxaldehyde, 2-acetylthiazole, S-methyl methanethiosulfonate, and benzothiazole were detected using gas chromatography-pulsed flame photometric detection. The odor components were evaluated by the odor activity value, and aroma extract dilution analysis was performed through gas chromatography-olfactometry analysis. The oil had a mushroom-like, fatty, and burnt odor. The main components contributing to the mushroom-like and fatty odor were hexanal, nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol, and (2E)-nonenal, while the burnt odor was due to furfuryl alcohol, benzaldehyde, 5-methyl furfural, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, 2-acethylthiazole, and indole.

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Phosphate-free spray dried detergent powders (SDDP) comprising binary anionic surfactants of palm C16 methyl ester sulfonate (C16MES) and linear alkyl benzene sulfonic acid (LABSA) were produced using a 5 kg/h-capacity co-current pilot spray dryer (CSD). Six phosphate-free detergent (PFD) formulations comprising C16MES/LABSA in various ratios under pH 7 – 8 were studied. Three PFD formulations having C16MES/LABSA in respective ratios of 0:100 (control), 20:80 and 40:60 ratios were selected for further evaluation based on their optimum detergent slurry concentrations. The resulting SDDP from these formulations were analysed for its detergency stability (over nine months of storage period) and particle characteristics. C16MES/LABSA of 40:60 ratio was selected as the ideal PFD formulation since its resulting SDDP has consistent detergency stability (variation of 2.3% in detergency/active over nine months storage period), excellent bulk density (0.37 kg/L), fine particle size at 50% cumulative volume percentage (D₅₀ of 60.48 μm), high coefficient of particle size uniformity (D₆₀/D₁₀ of 3.86) and large spread of equivalent particle diameters. In terms of surface morphology, the SDDP of the ideal formulation were found to have regular hollow particles with smooth spherical surfaces. Although SDDP of the ideal formulation have excellent characteristics, but in terms of flowability, these powders were classified as slightly less free flowing (Hausner ratio of 1.27 and Carr’s index of 21.3).

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Xanthohumol is a major prenylated, hydrophobic flavonoid found in the female inflorescences of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.). In this study, we examined the effects of xanthohumol-rich hop extract containing 17.8% xanthohumol and 12.4% isoxanthohumol on the differentiation and adipogenesis of 3T3L1 cells. We observed that the extract inhibited the differentiation of 3T3L1 cells and intracellular fat droplets via the regulation of adipogenic factors such as the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha, and adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein.

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In the present study, the commercial lipase from Himedia, Mumbai was immobilized on silica gel matrix in the presence of a cross-linking agent, glutaraldehyde. The silica immobilized lipase exposed to 2% glutaraldehyde showed 94.28% binding efficiency. The activities of the free and immobilized enzymes were investigated in the hydrolysis reaction of p-nitrophenyl palmitate. The activities of the free and the immobilized lipases were measured at different pH values and temperatures, and their thermal stability was also determined. The free and silica immobilized lipase possessed optimum hydrolytic activity at 40°C, pH 8.0 at 10 minutes of reaction time. Among p-nitrophenyl esters of fatty acids of different chain lengths, both free and silica immobilized showed maximum activity towards p-NPP with measured K_m of free and immobilized lipase was found at 0.13 and 0.349 mM respectively whereas the V_max of free and immobilized lipase was 5.08 μmol/min/mL and 10.38 μmol/min/mg respectively. The lipase activity was found to be stimulated only in the presence of Cu²⁺ ions whereas other metal ions inhibited activity of the lipase. The silica immobilized lipase was quite stable at 55°C and 60°C. The immobilized lipase was recycled up to 6^th cycle and it retained 52% of its original activity up to 5^th cycle.

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The essential oils from the leaves, stems and roots of Chrysanthemum trifurcatum (Desf.) Batt. and Trab. var. macrocephalum (viv.) were obtained by hydrodistillation and their chemical compositions were analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), in order to get insight into similarities and differences as to their active composition. A total of fifty compounds were identified, constituting 97.84%, 99.02% and 98.20% of total oil composition of the leaves, stems and roots, respectively. Monoterpene hydrocarbons were shown to be the main group of constituents of the leaves and stems parts in the ratio of 67.88% and 51.29%, respectively. But, the major group in the roots oil was found to be sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (70.30%). The main compounds in leaves oil were limonene (26.83%), γ-terpinene (19.68%), α-pinene (9.7%) and α-terpenyl acetate (7.16%). The stems oil, contains mainly limonene (32.91%), 4-terpenyl acetate (16.33%) and γ-terpinene (5.93%), whereas the main compounds in roots oil were α-calacorene (25.98%), α-cedrene (16.55%), β-bourbobene (14.91%), elemol (7.45%) and 2-hexenal (6.88%). The crude organic extracts of leaves, stems and roots, obtained by maceration with solvents of increasing polarity: petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol, contained tannins, flavonoids and alkaloids. Meanwhile, essential oils and organic extracts were tested for antibacterial activities against eight Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, using a microdilution method. The oil and methanolic extact from C. trifurcatum leaves showed a great potential of antibacterial effect against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus epidermidis, with an IC₅₀ range of 31.25-62.5 µg/ml.

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Lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of linseed oil was investigated. Four commercially available microbial lipases of Lipase AY, Lipozyme RMIM, Lipozyme TLIM, and Novozym 435 were used. Among these tested lipases, Lipase AY exhibited the best hydrolysis effeciency to linseed oil. The effect of reaction variables was also evaluated and optimized using response surface methodology. A second-order regression for the Box–Behken design was used to study the effect of five independent variables, such as, temperature, pH, oil-aqueous phase ratio, enzyme load, and reaction time, on the hydrolysis of linseed oil. The optimal conditions were as follows: temperature 33°C, pH 5.80, oil-aqueous phase ratio 0.90 (w/w), enzyme load 1.20% (relative to the weight of total substrates), and reaction time 3.33 h. Under these conditions, the hydrolysis ratio of linseed oil was 93.92±0.54%.

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The chemical composition of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves of Pachira glabra Pasq., (PgEO) has been studied by Gas Chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Thirty three constituents representing 98.4% of total contents were identified from the essential oil. The major constituents of oil were limonene (23.2%), β-caryophyllene (14.5%), phtyol (8.5%) and β-bisabolene (6.3%). The antimicrobial activity of the PgEO was evaluated against a panel of ten bacteria and three fungal strain using agar diffusion and broth microdilution methods. Results have shown that the PgEO exhibited moderate to strong antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms except Citrobacter youagae, Micrococcus spp. and Proteus spp. The activity zones of inhibition (ZI) and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranged between 13.7 mm - 24.0 mm and 0.3 mg/mL - 2.5 mg/mL, respectively. The insecticidal activity of PgEO was assayed against the adult Sitophilus zeamais. The lethal concentrations (LC₅₀ and LC₉₀) of the PgEO showed it to be toxic against adult S. zeamais at 32.2 and 53.7 mg/mL, respectively. This is the first report on the chemical composition and in vitro biological activities of essential oil of P. glabra growing in Nigeria.

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Vegetable oils are being investigated as potential source of environmentally favorable lubricants over synthetic products. Jatropha curcas L. oil (JO) identified as a potential raw material for biodiesel was explored for its use as a feedstock for biolubricants. Epoxidized jatropha oil (EJO) was prepared by peroxyformic acid generated in situ by reacting formic acid and hydrogen peroxide in the presence of sulfuric acid as catalyst. Almost complete conversion of unsaturated bonds in the oil into oxirane was achieved with oxirane value 5.0 and iodine value of oil reduced from 92 to 2 mg I₂/g. EJO exhibited superior oxidative stability compared to JO. This study employed three antioxidants such as butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT), zinc dimethyl dithiocarbamate (ZDDC), and diphenyl amine (DPA) and found that DPA antioxidant performed better than ZDDC and BHT over EJO compared to JO. The lubricating properties of EJO and epoxy soybean oil (ESBO) are comparable. Hence, EJO can be projected as a potential lubricant basestock for high temperature applications.

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Lycopene, a lipophilic carotenoid, has been known as an effective antioxidant in supporting the cutaneous defensive system. However, it is unstable when exposed to light and water. In this study, lycopene was isolated from tomatoes and a vesicular delivery system was developed to entrap and stabilize the lycopene in the aqueous system. A simple process, maceration in ethyl acetate, was used to extract lycopene from the tomatoes. The extract was then chromatographed on the Sephadex LH20 column using acetone as a solvent system to yield 995 μg of lycopene per gram of dried tomato weight. The vesicular delivery system was prepared from a combination of ascorbic acid-6-palmitate (AP), cholesterol and dicetyl phosphate using a thin film hydration method. The formulation was composed of AP, cholesterol and dicetyl phosphate at a 44:44:12 molar ratio and with 2.12 μmol/ml of the isolated lycopene. Both blank vesicles and lycopene loaded vesicles were kept for a period of 3 months at 4±2°C and at the room temperature (28±2°C) to evaluate the effect of the encapsulation on the characteristic of the vesicles and on the antioxidant activity of the encapsulated lycopene. The result implied that lycopene could be stabilized in the vesicles and its scavenging activity against DPPH free radicals was superior to that of the free lycopene solution.

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