Enzymatic synthesis of water-soluble derivatives of salicylic acid in organic media

A novel enzymatic method for preparing water-soluble derivatives of salicylic acid catalyzed by immobilized lipase was described. This study is the first to describe the enzymatic transesterification of methyl salicylate in organic solvents with different hydroxyl donors. The acyl-transfer between methyl salicylate and sorbitol was best supported by solvents of log P values –0.33 to 1.4. With Candida antarctica lipase in tert-amyl alcohol, a sorbitol conversion yield of 98% can be obtained by transesterification with sorbitol and methyl salicylate in one step.     

Regioselective acylation of flavonoids catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase under reduced pressure

A single-step acylation of rutin and naringin, catalyzed by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B in 2-methyl-2-butanol, occurred preferentially on the primary hydroxyl group. Using palmitic methyl ester as acyl donor, the acylation rate of naringin was 10-fold higher than that of rutin. Under optimal conditions, i.e. a molar ratio acyl donor/naringin of 7:1 and 200 mbar, 92% naringin was acylated.     

The mechanism of solvent effect on the positional selectivity of Candida antarctica lipase B during 1,3-diolein synthesis by esterification

We investigated the influence of solvent on the positional selectivity of Novozym 435 which was the immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) during the esterification of oleic acid with glycerol for 1,3-diolein preparation previously. Herein, molecular modeling was used to elucidate the underlying mechanism of the solvent effect on the positional selectivity of the enzyme. The results showed that the binding energy of sn-1 hydroxyl of glycerol molecular with CALB became higher, and the binding energy of sn-2 hydroxyl of glycerol molecular with CALB became lower along with the increase of the solvent log P. It was demonstrated that, increasing log P of the solvent, the enzyme selectivity to sn-1 hydroxyl of glycerol molecular grew weaker, and the selectivity to sn-2 hydroxyl of glycerol molecular grew stronger.     

Effect of additives on the esterification activity of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase

In this work, the stabilizing effect of bovine serum albumin (BSA), peptone (PEP), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) during immobilization of Candida antarctica lipase on activated carbon was investigated. The influence of enzyme concentration and type of additive, added during the immobilization procedure, was studied using a 2² factorial central composite design. The goal was to maximize the synthetic activity of butyl butyrate, using butyric acid and butanol as substrate in n-heptane. An increase of 31–58% in the esterification activity was obtained when enzyme concentration on the supernatant was enhanced from 86.50 U m L⁻¹ to 226.80 U mL⁻¹. An enhancement in esterification activity of 38–68.95% was observed, depending on the initial enzyme concentration, when PEP was used instead of BSA. No significant increase in the esterification activity was observed when PEP was replaced by PEG. However, thermal stability tests at 50 °C showed that PEG had a higher stabilizing effect.     

Development of recombinant Aspergillus oryzae whole-cell biocatalyst expressing lipase-encoding gene from Candida antarctica

To expand the industrial applications of Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB), we developed Aspergillus oryzae whole-cell biocatalyst expressing the lipase-encoding gene from C. antarctica. A. oryzae niaD300, which was derived from the wild type strain RIB40, was used as the host strain. The CALB gene was isolated from C. antarctica CBS6678 and expression plasmids were constructed with and without secretion signal peptide. The lipase gene was expressed under the control of improved glaA and pNo-8142 promoters of plasmids pNGA142 and pNAN8142, respectively. The Southern blot analysis demonstrated the successful integration of the CALB gene in the genome of A. oryzae. To determine the role of signal peptide, the expression plasmids were constructed with homologous and heterologous secretion signal sequences of triacylglycerol lipase gene (tglA) from A. oryzae and lipase B (CALB) from C. antarctica, respectively. The C-terminal FLAG tag does not alter the catalytic properties of the lipase enzyme and Western blotting analysis using anti-FLAG antibodies demonstrated the presence of cell wall and membrane bound lipase responsible for the biocatalytic activity of the whole-cell biocatalyst. The resultant recombinant A. oryzae was immobilized within biomass support particles (BSPs) made of polyurethane foam (PUF) and the BSPs were successfully used for the hydrolysis of para-nitrophenol butyrate (p-NPB) and for the optical resolution of (RS)-1-phenyl ethanol by enantioselective transesterification with vinyl acetate as acyl donor.     

Molecular modeling of substrate selectivity of Candida antarctica lipase B and Candida rugosa lipase towards c9, t11- and t10, c12-conjugated linoleic acid

Molecular modeling was used to clarify the mechanism of the selectivity of Candida antarctica lipase B and Candida rugosa lipase towards cis9, trans11 (c9, t11-) and trans10, cis12 (t10, c12-) conjugated linoleic acid. Hydrogen bonds network, substrate conformation, binding affinity and water molecules in the binding site were analyzed. Substrate conformation and binding affinity were not correlated with the experimental results of the substrate selectivity. On the contrary, better enzyme preference towards a substrate was correlated with two stronger hydrogen bonds (His-NH-O_a and His-NH-Ser-O_γ) and less water molecules between the substrate the binding pocket. Possible explanation of these was discussed.     

Capsaicin hydrolysis by Candida antarctica lipase

Capsaicin was hydrolysed by lipase B from Candida antarctica into vanillylamine and 8-methyl-6-trans-nonenoic acid. Conversions of 70% were obtained after 72 h at 70 °C in water but decreased to only 15% when capsaicin was solubilized in 15% (v/v) ethanol/water after 72 h at 45 °C. No activity occurred in chloroform/water mixtures. According to our knowledge, this is the first report concerning amide hydrolysis by a lipase.     

Development of yeast cells displaying <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida antarctica</Emphasis> lipase B and their application to ester synthesis reaction

We isolated the lipase B from Candida antarctica CBS 6678 (CALB CBS6678) and successfully constructed CALB-displaying yeast whole-cell biocatalysts using the Flo1p short (FS) anchor system. For the display of CALB on a yeast cell surface, the newly isolated CALB CBS6678 exhibited higher hydrolytic and ester synthesis activities than the well-known CALB, which is registered in GenBank (Z30645). A protease accessibility assay using papain as a protease showed that a large part of CALB, approximately 75%, was localized on an easily accessible part of the yeast cell surface. A comparison of the lipase hydrolytic activities of yeast whole cells displaying only mature CALB (CALB) and those displaying mature CALB with a Pro region (ProCALB) revealed that mature CALB is preferable for yeast cell surface display using the Flo1p anchor system. Lyophilized yeast whole cells displaying CALB were applied to an ester synthesis reaction at 60°C using adipic acid and n-butanol as substrates. The amount of dibutyl adipate (DBA) produced increased with the reaction time until 144 h. This indicated that CALB displayed on the yeast cell surface retained activity under the reaction conditions.     

Aminolysis of 2-hydroxy esters catalyzed by Candida antarctica lipase

Candida antarctica lipase catalyzed the aminolysis of 2-hydroxy esters with amines in organic solvents to yield the corresponding 2-hydroxy amides. The reactions proceeded at 28–30 °C in dioxane for 6 h with 3 mM substrates with yields ranging between 45% (w/w) (for branched substrates) to 88% (w/w) (for linear substrates). Although the reaction was not enantioselective, because of its simplicity it represents an alternative method for the synthesis of functionalised amides.     

Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of vitamin C fatty acid esters

Fatty acid esters of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) where synthesized in a mainly solid-phase system in the presence of small amounts of organic solvent (acetone or t-butanol) catalyzed by immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica.Highest reaction rates and yields of isolated products were obtained using fatty acid vinyl esters, e.g., 6-O-palmitoyl-l-ascorbic acid was obtained in 91% isolated yield after 48 h. As vitamin C and its esters are very sensitive to oxidation, a mild extraction method for the isolation of reaction products was developed.     

Novel mannitol based non-ionic surfactants from biocatalysis: Part two: improved synthesis

The 1-O-lauroyl- -mannitol, a non-ionic surfactant, was synthesised via a chemo-enzymatic pathway starting from the 1,2:4,5-di-O-isopropylidene- -mannitol and vinyl laurate as acylation agent. The high hydrophobicity of the substrates allowed the enzymatic reaction to occur both in n-hexane and in solvent free conditions. The immobilised Candida antarctica lipase B was used as the catalyst of the enzymatic step. This enzyme acts differently depending on the position of the hydroxyls with respect to the isopropylidene groups. The acid selective hydrolysis of the isopropylidene groups gave the non-ionic surfactant without the presence of isomers.     

Biocatalytic acylation of carbohydrates with fatty acids from palm fatty acid distillates

Palm fatty acid distillates (PFAD) are by-products of the palm oil refining process. Their use as the source of fatty acids, mainly palmitate, for the biocatalytic synthesis of carbohydrate fatty acid esters was investigated. Esters could be prepared in high yields from unmodified acyl donors and non-activated free fatty acids obtained from PFAD with an immobilized Candida antarctica lipase preparation. Acetone was found as a compatible non-toxic solvent, which gave the highest conversion yields in a heterogeneous reaction system without the complete solubilization of the sugars. Glucose, fructose, and other acyl acceptors could be employed for an ester synthesis with PFAD. The synthesis of glucose palmitate was optimized with regard to the water activity of the reaction mixture, the reaction temperature, and the enzyme concentration. The ester was obtained with 76% yield from glucose and PFAD after reaction for 74 h with 150 U ml⁻¹ immobilized lipase at 40°C in acetone.     

Enzymatic synthesis of terpenyl esters by transesterification with fatty acid vinyl esters as acyl donors by Trichosporon fermentans lipase

Enzymatic synthesis of terpenyl esters by esterification or transesterification with fatty acid vinyl esters as acyl donors by celite-adsorbed lipase of Trichosporon fermentans was investigated. In direct esterification of geraniol, the lipase showed high reactivity toward fatty acids with carbon chains longer than C-8, but little reactivity toward fatty acids with shorter chains. With fatty acid vinyl esters as acyl donors, the lipase catalysed the synthesis of geranyl and citronellyl esters with carbon chains shorter than C-6 in with yields of >90% molar conversion. Time course, effects of added water, temperature and substrate concentration were studied for the synthesis of geranyl acetate. Molar conversion yield reached 97.5% after 5 h incubation at 30–40°C with the addition of 3% water. In this reaction, no inhibition by substrates such as geraniol and vinyl acetate was observed.     

Preparation of a whole-cell biocatalyst of mutated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida antarctica</Emphasis> lipase B (mCALB) by a yeast molecular display system and its practical properties

To prepare a whole-cell biocatalyst of a stable lipase at a low price, mutated Candida antarctica lipase B (mCALB) constructed on the basis of the primary sequences of CALBs from C. antarctica CBS 6678 strain and from C. antarctica LF 058 strain was displayed on a yeast cell surface by α-agglutinin as the anchor protein for easy handling and stability of the enzyme. When mCALB was displayed on the yeast cell surface, it showed a preference for short chain fatty acids, an advantage for producing flavors; although when Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) was displayed, the substrate specificity was for middle chain lengths. When the thermal stability of mCALB on the cell surface was compared with that of ROL on a cell surface, T _1/2, the temperature required to give a residual activity of 50% for heat treatment of 30 min, was 60°C for mCALB and 44°C for ROL indicating that mCALB displayed on cell surface has a higher thermal stability. Furthermore, the activity of the displayed mCALB against p-nitrophenyl butyrate was 25-fold higher than that of soluble CALB, as reported previously. These findings suggest that mCALB-displaying yeast is more practical for industrial use as the whole-cell biocatalyst.     

Continuous synthesis of alkyl ferulate by immobilized Candida antarctica lipase at high temperature

1-Pentyl, 1-hexyl and 1-heptyl ferulates were continuously synthesized at 60–90°C using a reactor system in which a column packed with ferulic acid powders and another column packed with immobilized Candida antarctica lipase particles were connected in series. Conversions greater than 0.9 were achieved for the synthesis of the 1-hexyl and 1-heptyl ferulates at 90°C. The system could be stably operated for the 1-heptyl ferulate synthesis at 90°C for at least two weeks.     

Novel chitosan membranes as support for lipases immobilization: Characterization aspects

Membranes of chitosan (QS), chitosan treated with glutaraldehyde (QGA) and chitosan crown ether (QCE) were utilized as carriers for immobilization of Candida antarctica and Candida rugosa lipases. Membrane supports were characterized by several techniques (Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis by CHN determination and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), water sorption isotherms, and surface area from nitrogen sorption data). To verify the presence of enzymes, some of these techniques were also used for lipase on chitosan biocatalytic systems. Measurements of protein load from Biuret assays and catalytic activity in esterification in nonaqueous media were also made for the immobilized enzymes. Sorption isotherms at 20, 30, 40 and 50 °C for QS, QGA and QCE supports were fitted to the Guggenheim, Anderson and Böer model. GAB monolayer moisture parameter, Xm, varied between 0.029 and 0.051 for QS, 0.039 and 0.058 for QGA and 0.039–0.075 g of water g⁻¹ s.s. for QCE membranes. Elemental analysis and Raman spectra measurements of the lipase, supports and immobilized lipase systems gave evidence of the presence of enzymes on supports. Chitosan supports with internal surface area (m2 g⁻¹) among 3.31 and 1.26 were obtained. Regardless of these low values, acceptable protein load (0.61 to 3.21%) and esterification initial rates were achieved (0.88–2.75 mmol min⁻¹ g of protein⁻¹).     

Enhancement of Candida rugosa lipase activity in non-aqueous media by co-lyophilization with amphiphiles from aqueous solution

Modified Candida rugosa lipase was co-lyophilized with two gemini-type amphiphiles, l- and d-2-(3-bis-[3-(2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxy-hexanoylamino)-propyl]-carbamoyl -propionylamino)-pentanedioic acid didodecyl ester or dodecanoic acid 2-[(3-bis-[3-(2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxy-hexanoylamino)-propyl]-carbamoyl -propionyl)-(2-dodecanoyloxy-ethyl)-amino]-ethyl ester. Enzymatic activities of the modified lipases in the transesterification between racemic 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane-4-methanol and vinyl butyrate in cyclohexane were enhanced as much as by 37-78, 1.5–5- and 41–83-fold of magnitude relative to that of native enzyme, respectively. The lack of significant enhancement of the enzymatic activity, only in the case of the d-isomeric amphiphile-modified lipase, was considered from the topological view of the amphiphile.     

Regio- and enantio-selective acetylation of 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-arylpropane-1,2-diols using Candida antarctica lipase

Of nine commercially available lipases, lipase SP 435 from Candida antarctica, showed moderate enantioselectivity (E=17) for acetylation of racemic 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-phenylpropane-1,2-diol, 2, with vinyl acetate in diisopropyl ether (S selectivity). The other eight had low selectivities, with E values below 10. The selectivity and reactivity of SP 435 for 2 was markedly improved in dichloroethane (E=41). Moreover, SP 435 had moderate to high selectivity for the related compounds 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(1-naphthyl)-propane-1,2-diol, 4, (E=20), 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(indol-3-yl)propane-1,2-diol, 6, (E=80), and 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(pyrrol-2-yl)-propane-1,2-diol, 8, (E=17).     

Enzymatic synthesis of short-chain diacylated alkylglycerols: A kinetic study

Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of 1-O-octadecyl glycerol (batyl alcohol) with ethyl butyrate has been studied. The effect of vacuum on the rate of both transesterification and distillation of ethyl butyrate has also been investigated and at different reaction conditions, more than 85% of 1-O-octadecyl glycerol was consumed in only 5 min giving rise to the monoester. Then the monoester is again acylated to produce the diesterified product. In addition, the transesterification reactions were effected in solvent free reaction medium and it has been scaled-up to produce up to ca. 500 g of 2,3-dibutyroil-1-O-alkylglycerols in three consecutive cycles reutilizing the same batch of lipase. An efficient evaporation of ethanol was necessary to significantly reduce the reaction times of the transesterification reaction. Finally, a kinetics model describing both the rate of transesterification and the rate of inactivation of the immobilized lipase has been developed. The results indicate that the operational stability of the immobilized lipase confined into the mesh baskets (according to the value of k_d attained), was very high and that provides a half-life of the lipase higher than 1500 h.The present procedure is intended to be used for the synthesis of homogeneous alkylglycerols with biological activities and/or precursors of structured alkylglycerols.     

Lipase-mediated Transformation of Vegetable Oils into Biodiesel using Propan-2-ol as Acyl Acceptor

Propan-2-ol was used as an acyl acceptor for immobilized lipase-catalyzed preparation of biodiesel. The optimum conditions for transesterification of crude jatropha (Jatropha curcas), karanj (Pongamia pinnata) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) oils were 10% Novozym-435 (immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B) based on oil weight, alcohol to oil molar ratio of 4:1 at 50 °C for 8 h. The maximum conversions achieved using propan-2-ol were 92.8, 91.7 and 93.4% from crude jatropha, karanj and sunflower oils, respectively. Reusability of the lipase was maintained over 12 repeated cycles with propan-2-ol while it reached to zero by 7^th cycle when methanol was used as an acyl acceptor, under standard reaction conditions. Revisions requested 22 December 2005; Revisions received 26 January 2006