 | ||
In organic chemistry glycerolysis (a portmanteau of glycerol and -lysis. meaning "loosening, dissolving, dissolution," from Greek lysis) is the process of breaking chemical bonds via a reaction with glycerin. The term refers almost exclusively to the transesterification reaction of glycerol with triglycerides to form mixtures of monoglycerides and diglycerides. These find a variety of uses as emulsifiers (e,g, E471) and surfactants (e.g. Monolaurin).
The transesterification process gives a complex mixture of products, however not all of these are of equivalent use. This has led to the development of optimized processes able to produce better defined products; in particular by using enzymes, reactions in supercritical carbon dioxide and flow chemistry. The production of diglycerides (often called diacylglycerols or DAGs) been investigated extensively due to their health benefits; with total annual sales of approximately USD 200 million in Japan since its introduction in the late 1990s till 2009.