Abstract: Described is a method of producing compositions comprising a high concentration of glycerol monoesters. The method entails reacting a mixture of glycerol, a fatty acid source, and water, in the absence of catalysts, at a temperature preferably from about 180° C. to about 300° C., a pressure preferably from about 15 psig to 400 psig, and for a time sufficient to yield an acid value of preferably from about 2.0 to about 7.0 in the mixture, and a hydroxyl value preferably of from about 260 to about 460 in the mixture. The method can be used to make lipid mixtures comprising 90 wt % or more of glycerol monoesters. The method does not require molecular distillation.

Abstract: A process for producing a cleaved product from a ricinic compound by a high temperature reaction, achieved by combining an alkali in aqueous solution, a thinning agent, and a ricinic compound at a first temperature sufficient to distill off volatiles in the reaction mixture and then raising the temperature to a temperature sufficient to initiate a pyrolysis reaction and form a cleaved product from the ricinic compound, wherein the amount of thinning agent is in at a level sufficient to reduce the solidification of the mass during the reaction and foaming and increase the yield and purity of the products. The thinning agent is an isocarboxylic acid, an isoaldehyde or an isoalcohol containing from 5 to 13 carbon units. The thinning agent is relatively inexpensive, non-volatile and resistant to decomposition under the reaction conditions, easy to recover, and a non-foaming agent.