TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Components: The soapstock from alkali refining is soybean, sunflower, rice, corn, coconut, palm kernel, rapeseed or cotton. The lipase is obtained from Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzea, Bacillus species, Candida albicans, C. antarctica, C. cylindracea, C. glabrata, C. maltosa, C. parapsilosis, C. lipolytica, C. tropicalis, C. viswanathii, Chromobacterium viscosum, Geotrichum candidum, Issatchenkia orientalis (Candida krusei), Kluyveromyces marxianus (C. kefyr, C. pseudotropicalis), Mucor javanicus, Penicilium camemberti, Penicilium roqueforti, Pichia guilliermondii (Candida guilliermondii), Porcine pancreas, Pseudomonas cepacia, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Rhizomucor miehei, Rhizopus arrhizus, Rhizopus oryzae, Rhizopus niveus, Rhizopus javanicus and/or Thermomyces lanugenosus (preferably Lipase of type B, especially Candida antarctica Lipase B); and is provided in the form of liquid, bulk or immobilized.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The acids used to split the soaps are strong acids like sulfuric acid or hydrochloride acids.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The alkanol is a linear or branched 1-6C alkanol (preferably methanol or ethanol) using batch or continuous technique.Preferred Method: In the process, the soapstocks are neutralized with the strong acid to pH of 3.5 - 6 (especially 5). The distillation step is carried out by batch or continuous operation, (preferably by a thin film or wipped film evaporator) and the continuous distillation is operated at 180 - 240degreesC at 1 - 10 mmHg pressure (preferably at 220degreesC at 3 mmHg). The residue has sterols (5 - 8%). EXAMPLE - Soapstock (100 kg, containing water (40%), fatty part composed of fatty acids as soaps (95.2%), monoglycerides (1.2%), diglycerides (1.5%), triglycerides (1.1%), and sterols (10%)) was neutralized with 98% sulfuric acid (8.7 kg) until pH 4. Methanol (9 kg) was added followed by liquid enzyme (0.03 kg) - Lipase B from Candida antarctica. The mixture was circulated using a diaphragm pump (100 l/hour flow rate) during 6 days at external temperature of 24 - 30degreesC. Initial acid value (mg KOH/g) for the organic phase was 155 and decreased to 32 after 6 days. Circulation was stopped and mixture was settled out for 8 hours. Crude methyl esters (approximately 49 kg) were separated from an aqueous phase (68.9 kg) that included a layer of emulsion. The aqueous phase was filtered out. The filtered liquor was settled down for additional 3 hours separating crude methyl esters (2.3 kg) and a transparent aqueous phase (55.6 kg), where the separated transparent aqueous phase was then discharged to sewer. After filtration, the crude methyl esters (51.3 kg) with acid value (mg KOH/g) of 25 were obtained. Sodium hydroxide (50% solution, 1.8 kg) solution was added to the crude esters. The resultant neutralized crude esters (53.1 kg) were distilled in a lab wiped film evaporator (0.13 ft2 at 1 kg/hour flow rate, still temperature of 220degreesC, and 1.5 mmHg of pressure). Residual water coming from the neutralization and methanol, was removed using a degasser. Pure fatty acid methyl esters (40 kg) with acid value (mg KOH/g) of less than 2 were produced as a main product. The process produced light colored fatty acid methyl esters (at 40% yield in relation to the soapstock and 71% yield in relation to the total fatty material). A bottom stream (11.1 kg) having sterols (8%), partial glycerides, and fatty acid soaps was produced as residue; and the residue was processed to recover the sterols and the fatty acids as methyl esters again.