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Molecular Insight into the Processing and Characterization of Animal Fats and Vegetable Oils

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 1225

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Guest Editor
Department of Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, Vavrečkova 275, 760 01 Zlín, Czech Republic
Interests: biotechnological processing of poultry and fish by-products; processing of animal by-product fats; enzyme hydrolysis of fats; lipid-based systems in cosmetic matrices; preparation of gelatins and hydrolysates; food and cosmetics applications of gelatins and hydrolysates; collagen-based edible packaging materials; processing of collagen and keratin by-products
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Animal fats and vegetable oils belong to the portfolio of important raw materials not only for the food industry, but are also used in non-food sectors such as the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and leather industries. A significant share is represented by fats and their wastes originating from untraditional animal fats and vegetable oils, including by-products. Current trends in the processing of raw materials significantly point towards compliance with the principles of the circular economy with respect to the environment. Therefore, research should be strategically oriented towards the innovation of methods, and above all, a deeper examination of the processing conditions. Special attention can be paid, for example, to the preparation of fatty acids by alkali and acid hydrolysis, using specific and nonspecific lipases, or the interesterification of fats. Obtained lipid-based systems can be used, for example, to prepare advanced carriers, which can alternatively be functionalized using unique active substances, usable in cosmetic matrices, membranes or films for medical applications or food packaging.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to provide a representative and up-to-date overview of nutritional and molecular research on fats, processing of fats, oils and their wastes aimed at the preparation of products for common and advanced applications. The research focusing on the impact of fats and fatty acids on heart diseases, cancer or intestinal diseases, as well as the potential of omega-3 fatty acids in medical therapies are welcomed. Authors are encouraged to publish results on the preparation of second-generation biofuels as well. 

Prof. Dr. Pavel Mokrejš
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • lipid molecules
  • oils
  • fats
  • lipase
  • interesterification
  • hydrolysis
  • phospholipids
  • fatty acids
  • molecular research
  • nutrition
  • cosmetics matrices
  • medical applications
  • food
  • pharmacy
  • bioengineering
  • novel applications
  • biofuels

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2858 KiB  
Article
Study of Processing Conditions during Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Deer By-Product Tallow for Targeted Changes at the Molecular Level and Properties of Modified Fats
by Tereza Novotná, Pavel Mokrejš, Jana Pavlačková and Robert Gál
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 4002; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25074002 - 03 Apr 2024
Viewed by 399
Abstract
In most cases, the unused by-products of venison, including deer tallow, are disposed of in rendering plants. Deer tallow contains essential fatty acids and can be used to prepare products for everyday food and advanced applications. This work aimed to process deer tallow [...] Read more.
In most cases, the unused by-products of venison, including deer tallow, are disposed of in rendering plants. Deer tallow contains essential fatty acids and can be used to prepare products for everyday food and advanced applications. This work aimed to process deer tallow into hydrolyzed products using microbial lipases. A Taguchi design with three process factors at three levels was used to optimize the processing: amount of water (8, 16, 24%), amount of enzyme (2, 4, 6%), and reaction time (2, 4, 6 h). The conversion of the tallow to hydrolyzed products was expressed by the degree of hydrolysis. The oxidative stability of the prepared products was determined by the peroxide value and the free fatty acids by the acid value; further, color change, textural properties (hardness, spreadability, stickiness, and adhesiveness), and changes at the molecular level were observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The degree of hydrolysis was 11.8–49.6%; the peroxide value ranged from 12.3 to 29.5 µval/g, and the color change of the samples expressed by the change in the total color difference (∆E*) was 1.9–13.5. The conditions of enzymatic hydrolysis strongly influenced the textural properties: hardness 25–50 N, spreadability 20–40 N/s, and stickiness < 0.06 N. FTIR showed that there are changes at the molecular level manifested by a decrease in ester bonds. Enzymatically hydrolyzed deer tallow is suitable for preparing cosmetics and pharmaceutical matrices. Full article
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11 pages, 962 KiB  
Article
A Novel Method for the Determination of Squalene, Cholesterol and Their Oxidation Products in Food of Animal Origin by GC-TOF/MS
by Małgorzata Czerwonka, Agnieszka Białek and Barbara Bobrowska-Korczak
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2807; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052807 - 28 Feb 2024
Viewed by 493
Abstract
Cholesterol present in food of animal origin is a precursor of oxysterols (COPs), whose high intake through diet can be associated with health implications. Evaluation of the content of these contaminants in food is associated with many analytical problems. This work presents a [...] Read more.
Cholesterol present in food of animal origin is a precursor of oxysterols (COPs), whose high intake through diet can be associated with health implications. Evaluation of the content of these contaminants in food is associated with many analytical problems. This work presents a GC-TOF/MS method for the simultaneous determination of squalene, cholesterol and seven COPs (7-ketocholesterol, 7α-hydroxycholesterol, 7β-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 5,6α-epoxycholesterol, 5,6β-epoxycholesterol, cholestanetriol). The sample preparation procedure includes such steps as saponification, extraction and silylation. The method is characterized by high sensitivity (limit of quantification, 0.02–0.25 ng mL−1 for instrument, 30–375 μg kg of sample), repeatability (RSD 2.3–6.2%) and a wide linearity range for each tested compound. The method has been tested on eight different animal-origin products. The COP to cholesterol content ratio in most products is about 1%, but the profile of cholesterol derivatives differs widely (α = 0.01). In all the samples, 7-ketocholesterol is the dominant oxysterol, accounting for 31–67% of the total COPs level. The levels of the other COPs range between 0% and 21%. In none of the examined products are cholestanetriol and 25-hydroxycholesterol present. The amount of squalene, which potentially may inhibit the formation of COPs in food, ranges from 2 to 57 mg kg−1. Full article
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