文摘
β-Hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is reported to have ergogenic benefits such as reducing muscle wasting, promoting exercise performance and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. When used as a dietary feed, it has been found to improve colostral milk fat and the growth of piglets. Medium chain triacylglycerols (MCT) are a good energy source as they can be subjected to β-oxidation in the liver without being stored as fats. When used as animal feed, HMB–MCT complexes are reported to stimulate growth and produce leaner meat product. A high yield two-steps chemo-enzymatic pathway for synthesis of HMB–MCT complexes has been developed. Ethyl HMB ester was first synthesized using a chemical catalyst. Following that, it was transesterified with MCT by using a biocatalyst. Approximately 85?wt% of HMB–MCT complexes can be achieved using this two-step synthetic pathway. The reaction mechanism and some of the reaction parameters were also briefly elucidated.