Abstract:

In the supercritical CO2 condition, the synthesis of phytosterol ester was investigated using sunflower oil and phytosterol as the materials and Novozym 435 lipase as the catalyst. The optimal esterification conditions were achieved through single factor and orthogonal experiments to be reaction temperature of 85 ℃, phytosterol concentration of 5%, reaction pressure of 8 MPa, reaction time of 1 h, stirring speed of 600 r/min, and lipase dosage of 1%. The conversion rate was up to 92.1% under the optimal reaction conditions. This study will provide a theoretical reference for the preparation of phytosterol ester.

Key words: phytosterol, sunflower oil, supercritical CO2, esterification, lipase