Lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of canola oil in supercritical CO, (SCCO2) was studied as a model reaction to develop an on-line extraction-reaction process to extract oil from oilseeds and convert the oil to other valuable products using SCCO2. Immobilized lipase from Mucor miehei was used as the catalyst and the process was carried out at 24 MPa and 35 degreesC. Product composition was analyzed using supercritical fluid chromatography. The effect of enzyme load, CO, flow rate and canola flake load on the amount of product and its composition was investigated. Hydrolysis occurred to a larger extent to free fatty acids and glycerol with an increase in enzyme load, a decrease in CO, flow rate or a decrease in canola load. On-line extraction-reaction process using SCCO2 shows great potential for new process design to obtain products from agricultural commodities for use as ingredients in food and other industries. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.