Disclosed herein is a method for purifying the lysophosphatidylethanolamine with high purity by treating the phospholipid mixture with enzymes, followed by solvent fractionaltion without the column purification. The method of the present invention comprises hydrolyzing phospholipid mixture containing 10-99 weight % of phosphatidylethanolamine with phospholipase A2 to produce lysophospholipid; and treating the lysophospholipid with the solvent mixture comprising water and one or more organic solvents selected from the group consisting of low alcohol, hydrocarbon and alkylester to eliminate impurities except lysophosphatidylethanolamine.

A new enzymatic process for preparing 1,2-diacylated phospholipids using an enzyme preparation possessing phospholipase activity towards acylation at the sn-1 and sn-2 sites in a microaqueous reaction system. More particularly, the 1,2-diacyl-phospholipids produced according to the esterification/transesterification process are obtainable in high yield and purity and carry identical desired carboxylic acid, preferably fatty acid, acyl groups at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions. The process involves esterification/transesterification (acylation) of a glycerophospholipid, preferably glycerophosphoryl choline (GPC) with a desired carboxylic acid, preferably fatty acid, or their derivatives in the presence of the above mentioned appropriate enzyme preparation. The process of the invention further relates to a process for the production of 1-acyl-2-lyso-glycerophospholipid, preferably 2-lyso-PC by reacting glycerophospholipid, preferably glycerophosphoryl choline (GPC) with a desired carboxylic acid, preferably fatty acid, or their derivatives in the presence of a sn-1 specific phospholipase (PLA.sub.1 or PLA.sub.1,2) and a solvent, in a microaqueous medium.