HPLC in reversed phase mode: Tool for investigation of kinetics of blackcurrant seed oil lipolysis in supercritical carbon dioxide

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) seed oil is rich in α- and γ-linolenic acids, the latter in particular being of potential use in medicine. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the oil was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide using lipase Lipozyme as catalyst and changes in the composition of acylglycerols were recorded. Mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols and free fatty acids were separated by non-aqueous high-performance liquid chromatography in reversed phase mode and detected by UV diode array and 1H NMR detectors. Lipozyme was found to exert low specificity to individual fatty acids in the hydrolysed oil.