Hydroxy fatty acids industrial applications

Additionally, microbial systems convert unsaturated fatty acids to monohydroxy-, dihydroxy- and trihydroxy-fatty acids (Hou, 1995,2000). It is feasible to produce various value-added hydroxy fatty acids and derivatives for industrial applications by exploiting the unique reaction specificities of excep-... 

We have been investigating the production of value-added products from soybean oil. A Japanese patent application by Soda et al. (2) claimed the production of ricinoleic acid from oleic acid by Bacillus pumilus. Our initial goal was to produce ricinoleic acid from oleic acid by biocatalysis and hence to reduce the dependency on imported castor oil. Although we could not demonstrate the production of ricinoleic acid from oleic acid as did other investigators, including Soda s own group (2), our efforts led to discoveries of many new hydroxy fatty acids. These new products have potential industrial applications. Microbial oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids was reviewed recently (3). 

Nature has provided a few hydroxy fatty acyl oils that are useful for polyol synthesis. Castor oil has important industrial applications due to its ricinoleic acid content (12-hydroxy-9-octadecenoic acid), which comprises over 89% of its overall fatty acid composition (Ogunniyi, 2006). Ricinoleic acid contains a secondary hydroxyl group within its structure which renders castor oil suitable for many applications such as adhesives and coatings, paints and varnishes, polyurethane films, elastomers and foams, among others (Ogunniyi, 2006). 

Esters of fatty acids, primarily stearic and palmitic, and distilled monoglycerides with lactic, tartaric, citric, succinic, and related hydroxy acids have found wide application as emulsifiers and improvers in the food industry. Sodium or calcium salts of esters of stearic acid with lactic acid [sodium stearoil-2-lactylate (SSL)]... 

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