Enzymatic synthesis, encapsulation and anti-obesity effect of palm-based medium-and long-chain triacylglycerol functional oil

Medium-and long-chain triacylglycerol (MLCT) is a type of structured lipid that can act to suppress visceral fat accumulation. In the present work, MLCT was synthesized from palm sources and its anti-obesity effect was evaluated in mice prior to its application as powdered oil. This study was aimed to produce a palm-based healthy functional oil in liquid and powdered form that had the ability to reduce body fat accumulation. In the first part of this study, response surface methodology (RSM) with face centered composite design (FCCD) was employed to optimize the palm-based MLCT (P-MLCT) production. The optimized conditions obtained: substrate ratio palm kernel oil: palm oil (PKO:PO) of 90:10 (w/w), reaction time of 7.26 h, reaction temperature of 50 ˚C and 5 % (w/w) Lipozyme TLIM lipase successfully yielded around 60 % MLCT acylglycerol. Subsequently, the influence of P-MLCT on body fat accumulation was evaluated in Diet Induced Obesity (DIO) C57BL/6J mice for 2 and 4 months period, respectively. Blood serum was collected and fat pad (perirenal, mesenteric, epidydymal, and retroperitoneal) were dissected at the end of feeding trials. The 2 months feeding trial revealed that mice fed with P-MLCT attained the lowest total fat pad accumulation. Visceral fat accumulation of P-MLCT fed mice was 0.921 g (7 % P-MLCT) and 3.15 g (30 % P-MLCT) compared to non-enzymatically modified palm kernel: palm oil blend (PKO-PO Blend) having 1.07 g (7 % PKO-PO Blend) and 3.29 g (30 % PKO-PO Blend), and commercial MLCT (C-MLCT) with 1.03 g (7 % C-MLCT) and 3.18 g (30 % C-MLCT). Four months trial showed a more significant reduction (P<0.05) where consumption of 7 % P-MLCT managed to reduce ~30 % of body weight gain and ~37 % of body fat mass, compared to PKO-PO Blend and C-MLCT. Both 2 and 4 months trial resulted in similar trend on the blood serum parameters. P-MLCT was found to be efficient in controlling blood glucose and total triglyceride level, as compared to C-MLCT and PKO-PO Blen