# New Insight into Cavitation-Assisted Chemical Refining and Enzymatic Modification of Vegetable Oils and Their Impact on Physicochemical Properties of Final Products

## TL;DR

This study explores how ultrasound cavitation improves chemical refining and enzymatic modification of vegetable oils, enhancing efficiency and product properties.

## Contribution

The study introduces ultrasound-assisted enzymatic interesterification for fat blends using cavitation, a novel application in oil processing.

## Key findings

- Ultrasound cavitation reduced chemical refining time from 60 min to 7 min with similar refining losses.
- Cavitation under nitrogen atmosphere minimized lipid peroxidation and improved oxidative stability.
- Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic interesterification reduced reaction time from 6 h to 1 h and improved melting point stabilization.

## Abstract

The present study evaluates the impact of cavitation on the performance of the chemical refining of rapeseed oils and the enzymatic interesterification of fat blends using a powerful UP400S ultrasonicator (400 W, 20 kHz). Ultrasound-assisted alkali neutralization achieved efficiency comparable to that of the conventional 60 min process in only 7 min, with similar refining losses (5.04–6.80 wt.%), although slightly higher lipid peroxidation was observed. Performing the ultrasound cavitation under a protective nitrogen atmosphere minimized the formation of lipid peroxides and their breakdown products (i.e., hexanal, nonanal), partially protected tocopherols, and improved oxidative stability (IP at 120 °C = 3.9–4.4 h). Ultrasound-assisted enzymatic interesterification (EIE) of palm kernel fat and a palm stearin blend catalyzed by immobilized lipases (Lipozyme TL IM, Lipozyme RM IM, Novozyme 435) was carried out for the first time. Cavitation accelerated triacylglycerol rearrangement, reduced reaction time from 6 h (9.0·10−3 to 1.6·10−2 min−1) to only 1 h (5.5·10−2 to 1.2·10−1 min−1), and significantly affected melting point stabilization and solid fat content profile. In summary, ultrasound cavitation substantially enhanced mass transfer and reaction kinetics, demonstrating strong potential for process intensification in the edible oil industry. Further optimization of reaction conditions is required before large-scale industrial implementation.