According to the present invention, there is provided a process for
enzymatically producing dietary sterol fatty acid esters having
physiological activities from phytosterols and fatty acids or oils and
fats using lipase as a catalyst; the synthetic reaction conditions and
the following purification steps are so structured that dietary sterol
fatty acid esters superior in sensory qualities including color, odor and
taste, and safety, which is applicable as a general food, a health food
or pharmaceuticals can be produced.
In a process for enzymatically producing physiological active dietary
sterol fatty acid esters (step 124) from sterols derived from vegetable
(step 100) and fatty acids (step 102) or fats and oils containing
triacylglycerol as the main component (step 202) employing lipase as a
catalyst, according to the present invention, the synthetic reaction of
sterol fatty acid esters by the lipase is carried out for a predetermined
time period in a system at a predetermined temperature and water content,
enzyme inactivation treatment, dehydration treatment and enzyme protein
removal treatment are carried out, and unreacted sterols and fatty acids
are removed by molecular distillation treatment (step 110), coloring
components are removed by treatment with an adsorbent (step 116), odorous
components are removed by steam distillation treatment (step 122), and
dietary sterol fatty acid esters superior in sensory properties and
safety (step 124) is obtained.
