Abstract
Monoacylglycerides (MAGs) produced during conventional synthesis contain impurities such as diacylglycerides, triacylglycerides, and glycerol. In this study, urea was employed to form complexes with MAGs derived from palm oil (PO), canola oil (CO), fully hydrogenated palm oil (FHPO), and fully hydrogenated soybean oil (FHSO) in hot methanol. After crystallization and separation of the urea–MAG complexes, hydrochloric acid was used to release purified MAGs. The results demonstrated a significant increase in α-MAG content (from 39.8%, 40.4%, 42, 4 and 43.4% to 74%, 85.4%, 83.1%, and 51.9% for PO, FHPO, FHSO, and CO, respectively, p < 0.05). These results confirm the effectiveness of the urea complexation method for α‑MAG purification.
