Liang_2025_Food.Chem_473_142668

Recent research focuses on enriching n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) in glycerides due to their health benefits, DHA and EPA, in particular. Medical studies indicate that DHA and EPA are effective in reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, cancer and diabetes. But traditional methods face challenges like enzyme reuse difficulty and low catalytic efficiency due to product inhibition. Our study introduces a novel approach using a photodecarboxylase from Chlorella variabilis NC64A (CvFAP) combined with lipase and a three-liquid-phase system (TLPS). This method enhances n-3 PUFAs concentration to 65 % in 2 h, outperforming conventional systems. The TLPS increases oil dispersity and lipase selectivity, while CvFAP converts fatty acids into alkenes, reducing product inhibition. The process supports enzyme reuse for up to eight cycles, reducing costs and improving sustainability. This scalable, cost-effective method offers a significant advancement in the sustainable production of n-3 PUFAs for industrial applications.