# Sustainable Synthesis of Food-Grade Emulsifiers from Waste Cooking Oil via Enzymatic Glycerolysis in a Green Solvent System

## TL;DR

This study shows how waste cooking oil can be turned into useful food emulsifiers using enzymes and a green solvent, promoting sustainability.

## Contribution

A novel enzymatic process for converting waste cooking oil into food-grade monoacylglycerols using a green solvent system.

## Key findings

- A 67% yield of monoacylglycerols was achieved under optimized conditions.
- The produced emulsifiers performed similarly to commercial surfactants in oil-in-water systems.

## Abstract

The increasing demand for sustainable food-grade emulsifiers
has
stimulated interest in enzymatic processes utilizing renewable feedstocks.
However, the use of waste cooking oil (WCO) for the enzymatic production
of monoacylglycerols (MAG) suitable for food applications has been
poorly explored. In this study, WCO was successfully upcycled into
MAG through lipase-catalyzed glycerolysis using an immobilized enzyme
in tert-amyl alcohol as a green solvent. Process
parameters, including enzyme loading, glycerol-to-WCO molar ratio,
temperature, and solvent concentration, were optimized. Under optimized
conditions, a MAG yield of 67% was achieved. The resulting MAG exhibited
emulsifying properties comparable to those of commercial surfactants
in oil-in-water systems. Overall, this work demonstrates a sustainable
strategy for the upcycling of WCO into high-value emulsifiers, contributing
to circular economy principles in food ingredient production.