Bio-solution · FI08 · Food ingredients
Enzymatic degumming (phospholipases) and enzymatic interesterification (immobilized lipases) of edible oils instead of acid–caustic chemical degumming and sodium-methoxide chemical interesterification
Replaces
Phosphoric/citric acid plus caustic soda degumming and neutralization (soapstock, wastewater, oil losses); chemical interesterification with sodium methoxide; partial hydrogenation as the older route to structured fats (trans fats)
Phosphoric/citric acid plus caustic soda degumming and neutralization (soapstock, wastewater, oil losses); chemical interesterification with sodium methoxide; partial hydrogenation as the older route to structured fats (trans fats)
→
Scope
Soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, palm and other vegetable oils; margarine, shortening and specialty-fat production
Soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, palm and other vegetable oils; margarine, shortening and specialty-fat production
Suppliers 3
| Keclon | Argentina | active |
| MAYASAN A.S. | Turkey | active |
| Fermentia Ltd. | Hungary | active |
Route into Russia / EAEU FOOD
- Regulator
- Rospotrebnadzor / EAEU
- Typical time
- declaration of conformity, or SGR within 30 calendar days for new/specialized ingredients (plus tests)
- Legal basis
- TR CU 021/2011 (food safety) and TR CU 029/2012 (additives, enzymes, flavourings): declaration, or state registration (SGR) for new types
Information, not legal advice — confirm the procedure for your product.
Proof 5 claims
Old process
Chemical degumming/caustic neutralization (using phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide) and partial hydrogenation.
Chemical degumming/caustic neutralization (using phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide) and partial hydrogenation.
→
New practice
Enzymatic degumming (using phospholipases) and enzymatic interesterification (using immobilized lipases).
Enzymatic degumming (using phospholipases) and enzymatic interesterification (using immobilized lipases).
- Displaced at scale?
- partly
- Caveats
- Enzymatic degumming is not the dominant global process; it is utilized for a small fraction of oil refinement operations, such as 10% of soybean oil in Argentina. Adoption is hindered by the need for capital investment in heat exchangers and larger reactors, and a lack of independent data on total process performance.
- Hand review
- D2 Argentina: enzymatic degumming refines ~10% of soybean oil.
- checked
- 2026-10-06
| Enzymatic degumming technologies are only utilized for a small fraction of oil refinement operations, such as in Argentina, the world's leading exporter of soybean oil, where enzymatic methods refine merely 10% of the soybean oil. “Consequently, enzymatic degumming technologies are only utilized for a small fraction of oil refinement operations, such as in Argentina, the world's leading exporter of soybean oil, where enzymatic methods refine merely 10% of the soybean oil.” Argentina · 2025 · minority but measured share or volume | peer-reviewed ✓ exa.ai |
| The world's largest soybean processing industrial complex converted half of its capacity to the Purifine PLC enzymatic degumming process. “World's Largest Soybean Processing Industrial Complex Converts Half of Capacity to Usage of Verenium's Purifine® PLC Enzymatic Degumming Process Engineered and Installed by Alfa Laval” Argentina · 2011 · large measured reduction of the old process | weak (company, news, market research, other) www.prnewswire.com |
| Enzymatic degumming provides an additional oil yield of nearly 2% compared to conventional chemical methods. “In this way, this reaction releases triglycerides (TAGs) previously trapped by the PLs, resulting in an additional yield of nearly 2% (Dijkstra, 2011) .” · 2011/2025 · | peer-reviewed ✓ exa.ai |
| A cost-benefit analysis indicates a net benefit of 8.49 USD per metric ton of processed oil using enzymatic degumming. “With current oil prices, the 2% extra yield afforded by the enzymatic treatment results in 8.49 USD net benefit per MT, giving positive results down to 671 USD per MT processed oil.” · 2025 · | peer-reviewed ✓ exa.ai |
| Stricter legislation and consumer pressure to reduce trans fatty acids have driven the switch from partial hydrogenation to enzymatic interesterification. “Increasing trend to reduce / exclude trans fatty acids from food because of stricter legislation - trans labelling in USA from 2006 - very strict Danish regulation : max. 2% in food fats increasing pressure from consumer organisations” · 2004 · | weak (company, news, market research, other) rsync.iupac.org |
Details
Replaces: acid–caustic degumming, sodium-methoxide interesterification, partial hydrogenation · Scope: vegetable oil refining, specialty fats · Evidence: high
The chemical problem#
- Crude oils contain phospholipids (“gums”) that must be removed. Chemical degumming and caustic neutralization use phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide, create soapstock and salty wastewater, and lose neutral oil into the gums.
- Solid fats for margarine and bakery were made by partial hydrogenation, which creates trans fats — now banned or limited in many countries (WHO REPLACE campaign).
- The common replacement, chemical interesterification, uses sodium methoxide, a hazardous catalyst, and gives random fat structures.
Product overview#
- Enzymatic degumming — phospholipase A1/A2 or C converts non-hydratable phospholipids into forms that wash out with water, or into diacylglycerol that stays in the oil → higher oil yield.
- Enzymatic interesterification — immobilized sn-1,3-specific lipases (e.g. from Thermomyces lanuginosus) rearrange fatty acids to make trans-free hard stocks and specialty fats (cocoa-butter equivalents, infant-formula lipids).
- Both enzyme types are made by industrial fermentation.
Active ingredient / Composition#
- Phospholipases (PLA1, PLA2, PLC; sometimes combined), dosed in ppm of oil with water and pH control.
- Immobilized lipase in packed-bed reactors; enzyme reused for many tonnes of oil.
Key facts#
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Degumming yield | PLC and combined enzyme processes recover extra oil compared with chemical degumming (yield is the main economic driver) |
| Phosphorus | Enzymatic degumming reaches the low P levels needed for physical refining or biodiesel |
| Interesterification | Lipase reactors run continuously; no catalyst neutralization or bleaching for soap removal |
| Trans fats | Enzymatic interesterification + full hydrogenation or palm fractions → trans-free structured fats |
Advantages#
- Higher oil yield, less soapstock and wastewater.
- Removes sodium methoxide and part of the caustic/acid handling from the plant.
- Positional specificity of lipases gives functional fats chemical routes cannot make.
- Supports trans-fat elimination rules.
Mode of action#
- PLC splits phospholipids into diacylglycerol (stays in oil) and a water-soluble phosphate ester (removed).
- PLA1/PLA2 remove one fatty acid → lysophospholipids that move into the water phase.
- sn-1,3 lipases exchange fatty acids only at the outer positions of triglycerides → controlled structure.
Application#
| Stage | Target | Method, timing and specifics |
|---|---|---|
| Soybean/rapeseed crush plants | Degumming | Enzymatic degumming after water degumming; then physical refining |
| Biodiesel feedstock prep | Low P | Enzymatic degumming to meet P specs (see EN03) |
| Margarine and shortening | Trans-free hard stock | Enzymatic interesterification of fully hydrogenated oil or palm stearin blends |
| Specialty fats | Structured lipids | Lipase-catalyzed acidolysis for cocoa-butter equivalents and infant-formula lipids |
Limitations#
- Enzyme cost and process control (pH, temperature, mixing) must be justified by yield gains.
- Immobilized lipase is sensitive to oil quality (oxidation products, residual P poison it).
- Does not replace bleaching and deodorization.
- 3-MCPD/glycidyl-ester formation in deodorization is a separate issue.
Evidence of displacement — D2: measurable displacement (minority share)#
Assessment (hand-reviewed): Argentina: enzymatic degumming refines ~10% of soybean oil.
Verified figures (the number is in the quoted sentence and the sentence is on the source page):
- displacement — Enzymatic degumming technologies are only utilized for a small fraction of oil refinement operations, such as in Argentina, the world’s leading exporter of soybean oil, where enzymatic methods refine merely 10% of the soybean oil. (Argentina, 2025; peer-reviewed: exa.ai)
- performance — Enzymatic degumming provides an additional oil yield of nearly 2% compared to conventional chemical methods. (—, 2011/2025; peer-reviewed: exa.ai)
- economics — A cost-benefit analysis indicates a net benefit of 8.49 USD per metric ton of processed oil using enzymatic degumming. (—, 2025; peer-reviewed: exa.ai)
Industry pioneers — companies that commercialised this substitution#
| Company | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Novonesis | Lipozyme interesterification replaces chemical interesterification, which uses hazardous chemical catalysts like sodium methoxide. | company-reported: novonesis.com |
| Novonesis | Lipozyme interesterification reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 22% compared to chemical interesterification. | company-reported: novonesis.com |
| Novonesis | Enzymatic water degumming using Lecitase Ultra boosted a plant’s yields by around 2.1%. | company-reported: novonesis.com |
Suppliers — real products and services (from the vendor index)#
Active vendors whose own card shows oil-processing enzymes (degumming phospholipases).
Companies below are active vendors in the vendor index whose own card (profile / official website) shows this product or service — matched 2026-10-05 by keyword and checked by hand against the card text. Being listed is not an endorsement; open each card for evidence, contacts and status.
Update 2026-10-06: the Europe dataset adds the closest capability — Fermentia’s card names immobilized lipases (the form used for interesterification) but not their use on fats and oils, so the gap noted above still stands.
| Company | Region · Country | What the index shows | Card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keclon | LatAm · Argentina | enzymes for soybean oil degumming and biodiesel purification | card |
| MAYASAN A.S. | Africa/ME · Turkey | phospholipase enzyme product lines | card |
| Fermentia Ltd. | Europe · Hungary | immobilized lipases among its enzyme products; contract fermentation and downstream processing (use for fat interesterification not stated) | card |
Honest finding: no card in the index shows an immobilized lipase for interesterification. Lipase makers exist (e.g. Leveking, Yiming — see FI07), but their cards do not name oil interesterification, so they are not cited here.
Government funding signals#
Scanned 2026-10-01 (OpenAIRE + NSF); candidates reviewed by hand.
Signal: not detected in NSF/OpenAIRE — industry-driven. “Enzymatic degumming” returned only unrelated awards. Enzyme suppliers and oil processors fund this work because of the yield gain, and trans-fat rules create the demand for structured fats.
Scientific evidence#
- Dijkstra AJ (2010). Enzymatic degumming. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 112: 1178–1189.
- Sampaio KA, Zyaykina N, Wozniak B, et al. (2015). Enzymatic degumming: degumming efficiency versus yield increase. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 117: 81–86.
- Xu X (2000). Production of specific-structured triacylglycerols by lipase-catalyzed reactions: a review. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology 102: 287–303.
Bioeconomy value#
Oilseed crushing is a huge industry in Argentina, Brazil, Turkey and Asia, and enzymatic degumming pays for itself through extra oil yield. The two supplier cards here are a start; lipase interesterification is a supplier gap.
Cross-links: FI07 baking enzymes; I02 biocatalysis; EN03 biodiesel; FI03 natural antioxidants.