Abstract: A method for the enzymatic transesterification useful for modification of a lipid which comprises continuously or repeatedly contacting an enzyme or an enzyme preparation having transesterification activities with a fresh supply of a dried fatty ester substrate such as fats and oils of glycerides. The enzyme or the enzyme preparation has transesterification activities (Kr value) of 0.01 or more as well as lipolytic activities. The enzyme preparation is prepared by dispersing, adsorbing or bonding an enzyme having lipolytic activities in or to a carrier and drying the resulting mixture at an adequately slow initial drying rate to activate or increase transesterification activities of the enzyme.

Abstract: In a method of the modification of a fat or oil wherein a mixture (mixture A) containing a glyceride-type fat or oil to be modified (material A) and a fatty acid or a nonglyceride-type ester thereof (material B) is selectively transesterified in the presence of a catalyst having a selective transesterification activity (catalyst A); the resulting fat or oil (resultant A), fatty acid or nonglyceride-type ester thereof (resultant B) and catalyst are recovered from the reaction mixture; and then a hard butter is produced from the resultant A, the improvement comprises hydrogenating a part or all of the resultant B and reusing the hydrogenated product as a part of the mixture A.

Abstract: A method for the enzymatic transesterification useful for modification of a lipid, which comprises continuously or repeatedly contacting an enzyme or an enzyme preparation having transesterification activities with a fresh supply of a dried fatty ester substrate such as fats and oils of glycerides. The enzyme or the enzyme preparation has transesterification activities (Kr value) of 0.01 or more as well as lipolytic activities. The enzyme preparation is prepared by dispersing, adsorbing or bonding an enzyme having lipolytic activities in or to a carrier and drying the resulting mixture at an adequately slow initial drying rate to activate or increase the transesterification activities of the enzyme.

Abstract: There is provided a method for producing a cacao butter substitute by transesterification of fats and oils containing glycerides rich in the oleyl moiety at the 2-position with an alcohol ester of stearic acid and/or palmitic acid in the presence of a lipase having reaction specificity to the 1,3-position of triglycerides and not more than 0.18% by weight of water based on the total weight of the reaction mixture. By this method, a cacao butter substitute, rich in 1,3-distearyl-2-oleyl compound and 1-palmityl-2-oleyl-3-stearyl compound is obtained, in a high reaction yield with few by-products.