Resumen:
Enzymatic synthesis of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) from chia (Salvia hispanica L.) oil has been performed with different modified derivatives and compared with commercial immobilized lipases to produce omega-3 rich FAEE. Therefore, the main objective was to synthesize omega-3 esters from chia oil catalysed by polyethylene glycol-modified lipases using a biocatalyst with higher stability than commercial derivatives. Lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus (TLL) was immobilized by hydrophobic adsorption on Sepabeads C-18 followed by a physicochemical coating of lipase surface with a dense layer of PEG. Ethanolysis reactions were carried out using pressurized liquid extracted chia seed oil and with different lipase derivatives to compare the omega-3 FAEE yield and ratio of reaction products, which were analysed by HPLC-ELSD. Furthermore, reutilization of lipase derivatives was studied to evaluate the stability after several reaction cycles to minimize decreasing of catalytic activity and develop a feasible enzymatic process for food industrial applications.