Glycerolysis

In organic chemistry glycerolysis refers to any process in which chemical bonds are broken via a reaction with glycerol.

The term refers almost exclusively to the transesterification reaction of glycerol with triglycerides (fats/oils) to form mixtures of monoglycerides and diglycerides.

The transesterification process gives a complex mixture of products, however not all of these are of equivalent use.

[1] This has led to the development of optimized processes able to produce better defined products; in particular by using enzymes,[2] reactions in supercritical carbon dioxide and flow chemistry.

[3] The production of diglycerides (often called diacylglycerols or DAGs) have been investigated extensively due to their use in foods, with total annual sales of approximately US$200 million in Japan since its introduction in the late 1990s until 2009.