LACTYLATE PURIFICATION PROCESS

• Main Authors: DE HAAN, ANDRE BANIER, VERKUIJL, BASTIAAN JEROEN VICTOR
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 30.06.2016
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

A method for separation of fatty acid from a mixture comprising fatty acid, the corresponding acyl lactylate and lactic acid, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing a dispersion of said mixture in a polar carrier; b) adjusting the dispersion mixture to a pH of from 5 to 9; and, c) extracting the fatty acid from the dispersion carrier mixture into a solvent immiscible with said polar carrier, thereby obtaining a fatty acid solution and an aqueous raffinate comprising lactic acid and fatty acid lactylate. The polar carrier comprises, by weight of said carrier, from 70 to 100 wt.% of water and from 0 to 30 wt.% of one or more miscible, polar co-solvents. The aqueous raffinate may be further processed by: i) acidifying said raffinate to a pH of from 0 to 3; and, either ii)a) allowing said acidified raffinate to separate into two layers and separating the lower, aqueous layer from the residual layer of acyl lactylate, or ii)b) extracting the fatty acid lactylate from the acidified raffinate into a second solvent which is immiscible with said aqueous raffinate, thereby obtaining an acyl lactylate solution.