Peptide synthesis with immobilized carboxypeptidase Y

Enzymatic peptide synthesis was investigated using carboxypeptidase Y immobilized with glutaraldehyde on 10 mum microparticulate amino-silica. Carboxypeptidase Y was immobilized with 98.5% recovery of active enzyme to yield the immobilized enzyme having 0.55 units esterase activity/mg amino-silica support. The stability of the immobilized enzyme was examined as a function of pH, temperature, and reactant concentrations. Immobilized Carboxypeptidase Y was used in stirred batch and recirculating packed-bed reactors for peptide synthesis. Packed-bed reactors (40 x 4.6 mm, 60 x 4.6 mm) were used to catalyze the synthesis of 170 mg N-benzoyl-L-arginyl-L-methioninamide, 380 mg N-benzoyl-L-arginyl-L-methionyl-L-leucinamide, and 200 mg N-benzoyl-L-arginyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalaninamide in 8, 3, and 1 hour, respectively, as intermediates in the synthesis of L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine. No inactivation of the immobilized enzyme was observed during the course of the reactions. The N-benzoyl-L-arginyl group served to increase the water solubility of the peptides and was removed by immobilized trypsin at the end of synthesis to obtain the final product. While the first two syntheses were conducted with aqueous reaction mixtures, the synthesis of N-benzoyl-L-arginyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalaninamide was carried out in a reaction mixture containing dimethylformamide to avoid precipitation of the product. HPLC and amino acid analysis confirmed the high purity and amino acid composition of the final product.     

Enzymatic peptide synthesis in organic media: a comparative study of water-miscible and water-immiscible solvent systems.

Peptide synthesis was carried out in a variety of organic solvents with low contents of water. The enzyme was deposited on the support material, celite, from an aqueous buffer solution. After evaporation of the water the biocatalyst was suspended in the reaction mixtures. The chymotrypsin-catalyzed reaction between Z-Phe-OMe and Leu-NH2 was used as a model reaction. Under the conditions used ([Z-Phe-OMe]0 less than or equal to 40 mM, [Leu-NH2]0/([Z-Phe-OMe]0 = 1.5) the reaction was first order with respect to Z-Phe-OMe. Tris buffer, pH 7.8, was the best buffer to use in the preparation of the biocatalyst. In water-miscible solvents the reaction rate increased with increasing water content, but the final yield of peptide decreased due to the competing hydrolysis of Z-Phe-OMe. Among the water-miscible solvents, acetonitrile was the most suitable, giving 91% yield with 4% (by vol.) water. In water-immiscible solvents the reaction rate and the product distribution were little affected by water additions in the range between 0% and 2% (vol. %) in excess of water saturation. The reaction rates correlated well with the log P values of the solvent. The highest yield (93%) was obtained in ethyl acetate; in this solvent the reaction was also fast. Under most reaction conditions used the reaction product was stable; secondary hydrolysis of the peptide formed was normally negligible. The method presented is a combination of kinetically controlled peptide synthesis (giving high reaction rates) and thermodynamically controlled peptide synthesis (giving stable reaction products).     

Designing enzymatic kyotorphin synthesis in organic media with low water content

Design of enzymatic kyotorphin synthesis in low water media has been carried out as a function of enzyme nature, the immobilization support material and the reaction medium, by using N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester and L-argininamide as substrates. Native and chemically-glycated alpha-chymotrypsin deposited on supports with different degrees of aquaphilicity (celite, polypropylene PP, and polyamide PA6) were used as catalysts. Binary organic solvent systems of ethanol and different water-immiscible organic cosolvents (ethylacetate, tert-butanol, chloroform, toluene, n-hexane, and n-octane) were studied as reaction media at constant water content (3% v/v). The greater the water binding affinity of the support the lower the synthetic activity of deposited enzymes: the activity of the celite derivative was 4x greater than the polyamide derivative. The enzyme glycation process hardly modified the catalytic ability of the celite derivative, but resulted in a moderate increase in operational stability. The presence of hydrophobic organic cosolvents in the water/ethanol reaction medium significantly increased enzyme activity, whereas the selectivity of the reaction remained high. Hexane was shown to be the best cosolvent, the synthetic activity of the celite derivative in hexane-ethanol (77 : 20%, v/v) being 130x greater than that in 97% (v/v) ethanol.     

Comparison of methods for thermolysin-catalyzed peptide synthesis including a novel more active catalyst

This is a comparative study of the performance of thermolysin for enzymatic peptide synthesis by reversed hydrolysis in several different reaction systems. Z-Gln-Leu-NH(2) was synthesized in acetonitrile containing 5% water (with various catalyst preparation methods) as well as by the "solid-to-solid" and frozen aqueous methods. Reaction rates (values in nanomoles per minute per milligram) in acetonitrile depended significantly on the method of addition of enzyme: (a) direct suspension in the reaction mixture as freeze-dried powders gave 60 to 95; (b) addition as an aqueous solution, so that enzyme precipitates on mixing with acetonitrile, gave 230; (c) addition as an aqueous suspension gave a remarkable increase in reaction rates (up to 780); (d) immobilized enzymes (adsorbed at saturating loading on celite, silica, Amberlite XAD-7, or polypropylene, then dried by propanol rinsing) all gave <230. It is postulated that, starting with the enzyme already in the form of solid particles in aqueous buffer, there is a minimum chance of alteration of its optimal conformation during transfer to the organic medium. For solid-to-solid synthesis with 10% water content we found initial rates of 670 under optimized conditions. In frozen aqueous synthesis, rates were <10. Equilibrium yields were always around 60% in low water organic solvent, whereas they were found to >80% in the aqueous systems studied.     

Effects of subzero temperatures on the kinetics of protease catalyzed dipeptide synthesis in organic media

A depeptide synthesis was drastically influenced by the reaction temperature, in the range from -30 degrees to 25 degrees C. This article shows the kinetic reasons of this effect. alpha-Chymotrypsin was immobilized on celite and used in four different water-miscible solvents containing small amounts of water-miscible solvents containing small amounts of water. The reaction studied was the aminolysis of N-acetyl-L-phenylalanine ethyl ester (Ac-PheOEt) with L-alaninamide (Ala-NH(2)) and water for the acylenzyme complex, the nucleophile was favoured by low reaction temperatures. This effect (quantified as p-values) was observed in all four solvents, and it was greatest in acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran. The esterase and amidase activities of the enzyme were studies using AcPheOEt and N-acetyl-L-phenylalanyl-L-ananinamide (AcPheAla-NH(2)) as substrates. The Michaelis-Menten parameters, K(m,app) and V(max), were determined for ester hydrolysis and dipeptide hydrolysis. Both K(m,app) and V(max) tended to increase with increasing temperature. Secondary hydrolysis was reduced at subzero temperatures because ester hydrolysis was favoured in relation to depeptide hydrolysis. Depeptide synthesis was thus favored by low temperatures in two ways: first, in the competition between the nucleophile and water for the acyl enzyme; and, second, in the competition between the ester substrate and the peptide substrate for the free enzyme. As a result, in acetonitrile containing 10% water, the maximal yield was 99% at -20%C compared with 84% at 25 degrees C. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Peptide synthesis in aqueous-organic solvent mixtures with alpha-chymotrypsin immobilized to tresyl chloride-activated agarose

alpha-Chymotrypsin was immobilized with a high coupling yield (up to 80%) to tresyl chloride activated Sepharose CL-4B.The immobilized enzyme was tested for its ability to synthesize soluble peptides from N-acetylated amino acid esters as acyl donors and amino acid amides as acceptor amines in water-water-miscible organic solvent mixtures. It was found that the yield of peptide increased with increasing concentration of organic cosolvent. Almost complete synthesis (97%) of Ac-Phe-Ala-NH(2) was obtained from Ac-Phe-OMe using a sixfold excess of Ala-NH(2). The rate of peptide formation in aqueous-organic solvent mixtures was good. Thus, 0.1M peptide was formed in less than 2 h in 50 vol% DMF with 0.1 mg immobilized chymotrypsin/mL reaction mixture. The immobilized enzyme distinguished between the L and D configurations of acceptor amino acid amides even in high concentration of nonaqueous component (90% 1,4-butanediol). The effect of temperature was studied. It was found that both the yield of peptide and the stability of immobilized enzyme increased when the temperature was lowered. Experiments could be performed at subzero temperatures in the aqueous-organic solvent mixtures resulting in very high yield of peptide. After three weeks continuous operation at 4 degrees C in 50% DMF, the immobilized enzyme retained 66%of its original synthetic activity. The activity of the immobilized enzyme was better conserved with a preparation made from agarose with a higher tresyl group content compared to a preparation made from a lower activated agarose, indicating that multiple point of attachment has a favorable effect on the stability of the enzyme in aqueous-organic solvent mixtures. The major advantage of using water-miscible instead of water-immiscible organic solvents to promote peptide syntheses appears to be the increased solubility of substrates and products, making continuous operation possible.     

Modification of the Microenvironment of Enzymes in Organic Solvents. Substitution of Water by Polar Solvents

Enzyme catalysis in water-immiscible organic solvents is strongly influenced by the amount of water present in the reaction mixture. Effects of substitution of part of the water by other polar solvents were studied. In an alcoholysis reaction catalyzed by chymotrypsin deposited on celite, it was possible to exchange half of the water by formamide, ethylene glycol or dimethyl sulfoxide with often increased initial reaction rate. Furthermore, these substitutions caused the suppression of the competing hydrolysis reaction. However, formamide caused enzyme inactivation, and ethylene glycol participated as a reactant in the alcoholysis to some extent, hence dimethyl sulfoxide was considered the best water substitute among the solvents tested. These effects were noted for chymotrypsin catalyzed alcoholysis in several water immiscible solvents and also for interesterification reactions catalyzed by Candida cylindracea lipase on celite. In the latter case a change in the stereoselectivity was observed. At a low water content a high stereoselectivity was observed; when the amount of polar solvent was increased, either by doubling the water content or adding an equal amount of DMSO, the stereoselectivity decreased.     

Biocatalysis of immobilized chlorophyllase in a ternary micellar system.

The immobilization of chlorophyllase was optimized by physical adsorption on various inorganic supports, including alumina, celite, Dowex-1-chloride, glass beads and silica gel. The enzyme was also immobilized in different media, including water, Tris-HCl buffer solution and a ternary micellar system containing Tris-HCl buffer solution, hexane and surfactant. The highest immobilization efficiency (84.56%) and specific activity (0.34 mumol hydrolyzed chlorophyll mg protein-1 per min) were obtained when chlorophyllase was suspended in Tris-HCl buffer solution and adsorbed onto silica gel. The effect of different ratios of chlorophyllase to the support and the optimum incubation time for the immobilization of chlorophyllase were determined to be 1-4 and 60 min, respectively. The experimental results showed that the optimum pH and temperature for the immobilized chlorophyllase were 8.0 and 35 degrees C, respectively. The use of optimized amounts of selected membrane lipids increased the specific activity of the immobilized chlorophyllase by approximately 50%. The enzyme kinetic studies indicated that the immobilized chlorophyllase showed a higher affinity towards chlorophyll than pheophytin as substrate.     

Influence of water activity in the synthesis of galactooligosaccharides produced by a hyperthermophilic beta-glycosidase in an organic medium

The present study evaluated the influence of water activity and lactose concentration on the synthesis of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), by means of a hyperthermophilic beta-glycosidase in an organic system. The production of GOS gradually grew as water activity increased in the reaction system; later, their synthesis decreased as water activity increased. The authors used the response surface methodology to study how different water activities and different concentrations of lactose influenced the synthesis of GOS and their length. In every case, the variable that proved to have the greatest effect on GOS synthesis was water activity. Maximum GOS3 synthesis was reached at a water activity interval of 0.44-0.57, with lactose concentrations of 0.06%-0.1%, while GOS4 and GOS5 maxima were reached at water activity intervals of 0.47-0.57 and 0.49-0.60, respectively. The research showed that higher water activity was required to synthesize GOS of greater length. Synthesis of GOS would then depend on the flexibility of the enzyme, which in turn would depend on water activity of the reaction system. This hypothesis was supported by experiments in which the reaction temperature was modified in order to change the flexibility of the enzyme, thus leading to longer GOS.     

Gallic acid‐based alkyl esters synthesis in a water‐free system by celite‐bound lipase of Bacillus licheniformis SCD11501

Gallic acid (3, 4, 5‐ trihydroxybenzoic acid) is an important antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and radical scavenging agent. In the present study, a purified thermo‐tolerant extra‐cellular lipase of Bacillus licheniformis SCD11501 was successfully immobilized by adsorption on Celite 545 gel matrix followed by treatment with a cross‐linking agent, glutaraldehyde. The celite‐bound lipase treated with glutaraldehyde showed 94.8% binding/retention of enzyme activity (36 U/g; specific activity 16.8 U/g matrix; relative increase in enzyme activity 64.7%) while untreated matrix resulted in 88.1% binding/retention (28.0 U/g matrix; specific activity 8.5 U/g matrix) of lipase. The celite‐bound lipase was successfully used to synthesis methyl gallate (58.2%), ethyl gallate (66.9%), n‐propyl gallate (72.1%), and n‐butyl gallate (63.8%) at 55^oC in 10 h under shaking (150 g) in a water‐free system by sequentially optimizing various reaction parameters. The low conversion of more polar alcohols such as methanol and ethanol into their respective gallate esters might be due to the ability of these alcohols to severely remove water from the protein hydration shell, leading to enzyme inactivation. Molecular sieves added to the reaction mixture resulted in enhanced yield of the alkyl ester(s). The characterization of synthesised esters was done through fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ¹H NMR spectrum analysis. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:715–723, 2015     

Catalysis by amine oxidases in nonaqueous media

The synthetic potential of amine oxidases was examined in different reaction systems, ranging from aqueous solutions to organic solvents with low water content. Substantial conversion was achieved in biphasic systems, which eliminated the product inhibition observed in the aqueous system. The conversion was particularly high in the more hydrophobic solvents. The use of low water systems was studied using amine oxidase immobilized on celite and pre-equilibrated in a salt hydrate environment to reach a constant water activity. Addition of water in the solvent was shown to be unnecessary, with significant conversion being attained through the water supplied by pre-equilibration of the immobilized enzyme at a_w=0.55. The use of organic solvent-containing reaction systems thus presents a convenient method for oxidising poorly water-soluble amines using amine oxidases.     

Properties of an immobilized lipase of Bacillus coagulans BTS-1

Lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) is a tri-acylglycerol ester hydrolase, catalysing the hydrolysis of tri-, di-, and mono-acylglycerols to glycerol and fatty acids. To study the effect of adsorption of a lipase obtained from Bacillus coagulans BTS-1, its lipase was immobilized on native and activated (alkylated) matrices, i.e. silica and celite. The effect of pH, temperature, detergents, substrates, alcohols, organic solvent etc. on the stability of the immobilized enzyme was evaluated. The gluteraldahyde or formaldehyde (at 1% and 2% concentration, v/v) activated matrix was exposed to the Tris buffered lipase. The enzyme was adsorbed/entrapped more rapidly on to the activated silica than on the activated celite. The immobilized lipase showed optimal activity at 50 degrees C following one-hour incubation. The lipase was specifically more hydrolytic to the medium C-length ester (p-nitro phenyl caprylate than p-nitro phenyl laurate). The immobilization/entrapment enhanced the stability of the lipase at a relatively higher temperature (50 degrees C) and also promoted enzyme activity at an acidic pH (pH 5.5). Moreover, the immobilized lipase was quite resistant to the denaturing effect of SDS.     

Subtilisin-catalysed peptide synthesis and transesterification in organic solvents

Summary Subtilisin from Bacillus subtilis was modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG), or adsorbed either on celite or porous glass, or directly used as a suspended powder to catalyse peptide synthesis and transesterification reactions in organic solvents. The rather low yield of peptide synthesis probably resulted from the enzyme tendency to catalyse hydrolysis and transesterification side reactions. The kinetics of transesterification catalysed by PEG-subtilisin was consistent with a ping-pong mechanism modified by a hydrolytic branch. Initial rates of transesterification were found to be dependent on alcohol and organic base concentrations in the reaction mixture. The high affinity of benzyloxycarbonyl-l-serine-methyl ester for the enzyme indicated that a change in substrate specificity of subtilisin occurred in organic phase. The 50-fold increase in the rate of synthesis of benzyloxycarbonyl-l-serine-l-phenylalanine amide which was observed when PEG-subtilisin was used instead of immobilized or powdered enzyme, suggested that a higher flexibility of the polypeptide chain modified by the covalent attachment of a number of soluble PEG moieties occurred in organic solvents. This also resulted in a lower stability of PEG-subtilisin at high temperature.Offprint requests to: A. Puigserver     

Improvement of hydrogenase enzyme activity by water-miscible organic solvents

Both stability and catalytic activity of the HynSL Thiocapsa roseopersicina hydrogenase in the presence of different water-miscible organic solvents were investigated. For all organic solvents under study the substantial raise in hydrogenase catalytic activity was observed. The stimulating effect of acetone and acetonitrile on the reaction rate rose with the increase in solvent concentration up to 80%. At certain concentrations of acetonitrile and acetone (60–80%, v/v in buffer solution) the enzyme activity was improved even 4–5 times compared to pure aqueous buffer. Other solvents (aliphatic alcohols, dimethylsulfoxide and tetrahydrofuran) improved the enzyme activity at low concentrations and caused enzyme inactivation at intermediate concentrations. The long-term incubation of the hydrogenase with aliphatic alcohols, dimethylsulfoxide and tetrahydrofuran at intermediate concentrations of the latter caused enzyme inactivation. The reduced form of hydrogenase was found to be much more sensitive to action of these organic solvents than the enzyme being in oxidized state. The hydrogenase is rather stable at high concentrations of acetone or acetonitrile during long-term storage: its residual activity after incubation in these solvents upon air within 30 days was about 50%, and immobilized enzyme remained at the 100% of its activity during this period.     

Simple strategy of reactivation of a partially inactivated penicillin g acylase biocatalyst in organic solvent and its impact on the synthesis of β‐lactam antibiotics

Some reactions of organic synthesis require to be performed in rather aggressive media, like organic solvents, that frequently impair enzyme operational stability to a considerable extent. We have studied the option of developing a reactivation strategy to increase biocatalyst lifespan under such conditions, under the hypothesis that organic solvent enzyme inactivation is a reversible process. Glyoxyl agarose immobilized penicillin G acylase and cross‐linked enzyme aggregates of the enzyme were considered as biocatalysts performing in dioxane medium. Reactivation strategy consisted in re‐incubation in aqueous medium of the partly inactivated biocatalysts in organic medium, best conditions of reactivation being studied with respect to dioxane concentration and level of enzyme inactivation attained prior to reactivation. Best results were obtained with glyoxyl agarose immobilized penicillin G acylase at all levels of residual activity studied, with reactivations up to 50%; for the case of a biocatalyst inactivated down to 75% of its initial activity, full recovery of enzyme activity was obtained after reactivation. The potential of this strategy was evaluated in the thermodynamically controlled synthesis of deacetoxycephalosporin G in a sequential batch reactor operation, where a 20% increase in the cumulative productivity was obtained by including an intermediate stage of reactivation after 50% inactivation. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;103: 472–479. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Methods for the immobilization of lipases and their use for ester synthesis

The lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens was immobilized onto five different carriers: celite, octyl-silica, aminopropyl-silica, gluterdialdehyde-activated silica and Eupergit C250L. Activities and operational stabilities of the prepared catalysts were compared using the enantioselective acylation of (R,S)-1-phenylethanol by vinyl acetate as acyl donor and t-butylmethyl ether with variable water content (0.038-0.97% v/v) as reaction medium. The above carriers provide catalysts with widely different specific activities ranging from excellent 25 mmol/h mg protein (celite) to 0.07 mmol/h mg protein (glutardialdehyde-activated silica) on the lower end. The lipase immobilized onto Eupergit C250L exhibited the best operational stability among the catalysts studied. It retained 30% of its initial activity after 11 cycles of application, each with a duration between 2 and 6 h.     

Interactions and inhibition of blood coagulation factor Va involving residues 311-325 of activated protein C.

Activated protein C (APC) exerts its physiologic anticoagulant role by proteolytic inactivation of the blood coagulation cofactors Va and VIIIa. The synthetic peptide-(311-325) (KRNRTFVLNFIKIPV), derived from the heavy chain sequence of APC, potently inhibited APC anticoagulant activity in activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and Xa-1-stage coagulation assays in normal and in protein S-depleted plasma with 50% inhibition at 13 microM peptide. In a system using purified clotting factors, peptide-(311-325) inhibited APC-catalyzed inactivation of factor Va in the presence or absence of phospholipids with 50% inhibition at 6 microM peptide. However, peptide-(311-325) had no effect on APC amidolytic activity or on the reaction of APC with the serpin, recombinant [Arg358]alpha 1-antitrypsin. Peptide-(311-325) surprisingly inhibited factor Xa clotting activity in normal plasma, and in a purified system it inhibited prothrombinase activity in the presence but not in the absence of factor Va with 50% inhibition at 8 microM peptide. The peptide had no significant effect on factor Xa or thrombin amidolytic activity and no effect on the clotting of purified fibrinogen by thrombin, suggesting it does not directly inhibit these enzymes. Factor Va bound in a dose-dependent manner to immobilized peptide-(311-325). Peptide-(311-315) inhibited the binding of factor Va to immobilized APC or factor Xa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Kinetic analysis of deactivation of immobilized alpha-chymotrypsin by water-miscible organic solvent in kyotorphin synthesis.

Two different immobilized chymotrypsin derivatives were used to synthesize kyotorphin, using N-benzoyl-L-tyrosine ethyl ester and L-arginine ethyl ester as substrates, in water-DMF media. The first was adsorbed onto Celite particles and the second was multipoint covalently attached into polyacrylamide gel. In all cases, the conversion of the carboxyl substrate was carried out in first-order reaction conditions. For the adsorbed enzyme, the reaction kinetics deviated from first-order likely due to a fast irreversible inactivation of enzyme during the reaction time even at low DMF concentration (15-20% v/v). The covalent attachment of enzyme resulted in elimination of irreversible activity loss by organic solvent up to 60% (v/v) of DMF. The catalytic activity of the covalent derivative was conserved as appropriate for performing a synthetic reaction up to 60% v/v of DMF (in comparison to 30% v/v for the adsorbed derivative), showing a clear improvement in its stability against reversible denaturation by this solvent. The selectivity of the synthetic reaction was slightly enhanced (from 40-50%) with the increase in DMF concentration to 80% v/v, but it was significantly improved (to 80%) when L-argininamide was used as nucleophile.     

How do additives affect enzyme activity and stability in nonaqueous media?

The catalytic activities of lyophilized powders of alpha-chymotrypsin and Candida antarctica lipase were found to increase 4- to 8-fold with increasing amounts of either buffer salts or potassium chloride in the enzyme preparation. Increasing amounts of sorbitol in the chymotrypsin preparation produced a modest increase in activity. The additives are basically thought to serve as immobilization matrices, the sorbitol being inferior because of its poor mechanical properties.Besides their role as supports, the buffer species were indispensable for the transesterification activity of chymotrypsin because they prevented perturbations of the pH during the course of the reaction. Hence, increasing amounts of buffer species yielded a 100-fold increase in transesterification activity. Effects of pH changes were not as predominant in the peptide synthesis and the lipase-catalyzed reactions.Immobilization of the protease on celite resulted in a remarkable improvement of transesterification activity as compared to the suspended protease, even in the absence of buffer species. Immobilization of the lipase caused a small improvement of activity. The activity of the immobilized enzymes was further enhanced 3-4 times by including increasing amounts of buffer salts in the preparation.The inclusion of increasing amounts of sodium phosphate or sorbitol to chymotrypsin rendered the catalyst more labile against thermal inactivation. The denaturation temperature decreased with 7 degrees C at the highest content of sodium phosphate, as compared to the temperature obtained for the denaturation of the pure protein. The apparent enthalpy of denaturation increased with increasing contents of the additives. The enhancement of hydration level and flexibility of the macromolecule upon addition of the compounds partly provides the explanation for the observed results. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 54: 67-76, 1997.     

Lipase-catalyzed alcoholysis of triglycerides for the preparation of 2-monoglycerides

Rhizopus arrhizus lipase immobilized on celite was used to prepare isomerically pure 2-monoglycerides by alcoholysis of triglycerides in organic media. Reaction parameters such as choice of solvent, choice of alcohol, and alcohol concentration were studied. When 12.5 mM tripalmitin was used as substrate, methyl-tert-butyl ether was the best solvent for alcoholysis at water activity 0.11. Ethanol gave the highest yield (97%) at an optimal ethanol concentration of 200–300 mM. At higher alcohol concentrations, the enzyme activity was substantially lowered. The enzyme preparation showed high stability in repeated-batch reactions.