| abstract |
The invention relates to a process for the selective alcoholysis of a free sterol, by contacting said free sterol with a fat-based product, optionally with the addition of carboxylic fatty acid(s) and/or ester derivative(s) thereof that are not derived from said fat-based product, in the presence of an immobilized lipase complex which may optionally be surfactant-coated, which complex possesses a high level of sterol-specific alcoholytic and/or esterfication activity and minimal acidolytic and transesterification activities. The fat-based product is a nutritional product or food, particularly butterfat, or a cosmetic or cosmetic or cosmetic-related product. The process may be used for preparing substantially cholesterol-free fat-based products, particularly products containing butterfat, by selectively esterfying any free cholesterol contained therein by the immobilized, preferably surfactant coated lipase. The invention also relates to a process for the in situ enrichment of a fat-based product with esterified phytosterol ester(s). In this process, the esterification of the phytosterol is simultaneously accompanied by esterification of any free cholesterol present in said fat-based product. |