On-line conversion estimation for solvent-free enzymatic esterification systems with water activity control

On-line conversion estimation of enzymatic esterification reactions in solvent-free media was investigated. In principle, conversion to ester can be determined from the amount of water produced by the reaction, because water is formed as a by-product in a stoichiometric manner. In this study, we estimated the water production rate only from some measurements of relative humidity and water balances without using any analytical methods. In order to test the performance of the on-line conversion estimation, the lipase-catalyzed esterification ofn-capric acid andn-decyl alcohol in solvent-free media was performed whilst controlling water activity at various values. The reaction conversions estimated on-line were similar to those determined by offline gas chromatographic analysis. However, when the water activity was controlled at higher values, discrepancies between the estimated conversion values and the measured values became significant. The deviation was found to be due to the inaccurate measurement of the water content in the reaction medium during the initial stages of the reaction. Using a digital filter, we were able to improve the accuracy of the on-line conversion estimation method considerably. Despite the simplicity of this method, the on-line estimated conversions were in good agreement with the off-line measured values.     

Enzymatic production of enantiopure ketoprofen in a solvent-free two-phase system

Enzymatic hydrolysis conducted in a medium composed of solely substrate is considered to resolve racemic ketoprofen esters. In a system composed of two components, the pure liquid substrate (organic phase) and water (aqueous phase), hydrolysis products can be efficiently removed from the reaction mixtures. Accordingly, in this study we designed a solvent-free two-phase system for the enantioselective enzymatic hydrolysis of ketoprofen esters. In order to further optimize this system, the influences of various factors, such as the pH of the aqueous phase, temperature, enzyme content, and the alcohol chain length of esters, were examined on conversion and enantiomeric excess. 1N NaHCO₃ was identified as the most efficient aqueous phase for the extraction of ketoprofen. Changes in the amount of enzyme did not significantly affect the maximum conversion or the enantiomeric excess. On the other hand, ketoprofen esters with shorter alcohol chains displayed higher initial reaction rates and conversions in solventless media. In the case of ketoprofen propyl ester, for example, the productivity of the solvent-free two-phase system was about 10–100 times higher than that obtained to date for ketoprofen esterification with alcohols in organic solvents. The enantioselectivities obtained in solvent-free media were similar to those obtained for the enantioselective esterification of ketoprofen in organic solvents.     

非水相酶促合成癸酸偏甘油酯的研究

对无溶剂非水相中癸酸与甘油的酶促酯化反应进行了研究,发现Pseudomonas fluoresces脂肪酶（PFL）、Mucor miehei脂肪酶（MML）和Candida antarictica脂肪酶（CAL）均有较好的催化活性。CAL酶促转化癸酸的最适反应条件为：60℃,加酶量为20～100u/g,初始加水量为甘油质量的12%。CAL的1,3位置专一性在最终产物中未表达。CAL酶催化剂的失活主要与机械磨损有关,反应5批次后酶活残留量为96.4%。敞开物系、真空脱水或分子筛脱水均为有效脱水方式。敞开物系中反应物量比不影响平衡转化率而会影响单甘酯平衡产率。用碳酸氢钠水溶液萃取可有效脱除产品中的残余癸酸,终产品酸价为0.68mg KOH/g。提高甘油比例并使用非脱水原料,无外加水结合部分流加癸酸的工艺,可以减少减压脱水或敞开反应的时间,5h后癸酸最高转化率可达96.9%。      

Water activity control: a way to improve the efficiency of continuous lipase esterification

During continuous lipase-catalyzed oleic acid esterification by ethanol in n-hexane, the oleic acid conversion, initially at 95%, decreases to 20% after 2 h. This decrease is caused by the accumulation of the water produced in the course of the reaction in the packed-bed reactor (PBR). In order to improve the PBR efficiency, it is necessary to evacuate the water produced. In this study, different approaches have been tested to control the water content in the PBR during continuous esterification. The first approach consisted in improving the water solubility by increasing the reaction medium polarity. The addition of polar additives to n-hexane, the use of more polar solvents, and the use of solvent-free reaction medium were tested as a means to favor the water evacuation from the PBR. First of all, the use ofn-hexane supplemented with acetone (3 M) or 2-methyl-2-propanol (1 M) enabled the conversion to be maintained at higher values than those obtained in pure n-hexane. The replacement of n-hexane by a more polar solvent, like the 5-methyl-2-hexanone, resulted in the same effect. In all cases, conversions at steady-state were always less than 95%, as obtained in pure n-hexane. This is explained by a decrease in the enzyme activity due to the increase in the medium polarity. Nevertheless, an increase in enzyme quantity allowed 90% conversion to be maintained during 1 week using 3 M acetone amended n-hexane. Good results (a steady-state conversion of about 80%) were obtained when esterification was carried out in a solvent-free reaction medium containing 2 M 2-methyl-2-propanol as a polar additive. The second approach consisted in the evaporation of the accumulated water by use of an intermittent airflow. Although this process did not enable constant esterification rate to be maintained, it did enable the initial conversion (95%) to be restored intermittently.     

Chemometric analysis of lipase-catalyzed synthesis of xylitol esters in a solvent-free system

Immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B-catalyzed esterification of xylitol and two fatty acids (capric and caproic acid) were studied in a solvent-free system. The Taguchi orthogonal array method based on three-level-four-variables with nine experiments was applied for the analysis and optimization of the reaction parameters including time, substrate molar ratio, amount of enzyme, and amount of molecular sieve. The obtained conversion was higher in the esterification of xylitol and capric acid with longer chain length. The optimum conditions derived via the Taguchi approach for the synthesis of xylitol caprate and xylitol caproate were reaction time, 29 and 18 h; substrate molar ratio, 0.3 and 1.0; enzyme amount, 0.20 and 0.05 g, and molecular sieve amount of 0.03 g, respectively. The good correlation between the predicted conversions (74.18% and 61.23%) and the actual values (74.05% and 60.5%) shows that the model derived from the Taguchi orthogonal array can be used for optimization and better understanding of the effect of reaction parameters on the enzymatic synthesis of xylitol esters in a solvent-free system.     

The control of lipase-catalysed transesterification and esterification reaction rates. Effects of substrate polarity, water activity and water molecules on enzyme activity

The reaction rate of two lipase-catalysed reactions, esterification and transesterification, were studied in a liquid/solid two-phase system in order to investigate the effect of water partition between the enzyme preparation and the liquid phase composed of only the reactants, i.e. without the conventional solvents. Lipase from Candida cylindracea was used for these studies. The enzyme was inactive in dehydrated systems. In the case of monoester synthesis, the reaction rate increased with increasing water activity. The reaction rates of the non-specific C. cylindracea lipase-catalysed reactions were very sensitive to the nature of the substrates in this unusual system. For instance, the transesterification reaction rate of ethyl propionate was 48 times higher with nonanol than heptanol in the case of dehydrated substrates, but only 2.2 times higher in the case of water-saturated substrates. The results presented here demonstrate the absolute necessity to consider the polarity of every substrate, because of its ability to modify the water partition between the solid phase (enzyme preparation) and the liquid phase (substrate and product), which results in drastic changes in enzyme activity. Contrary to esterification, which is known to be activated by the water produced, the rate of transesterification remained constant at the beginning of the reaction. However, when transesterification and esterification were carried out in the same liquid phase, the transesterification reaction rate was controlled by the water produced by the concomitant esterification. Activation effects of the water molecules produced during the enzymatic reaction were of exactly the same order of magnitude for both reactions.     

Enzymatic Synthesis of Ethyl-glucoside Monooleate with Lipase in Solvent-free Medium

Ethylglucoside monooleate was synthesized by esterification between ethylglucoside and oleic acid with immobilized lipase from Candida antarctica in a solvent-free system. It was shown that a stirred tank reactor was suitable for the enzymatic reaction process involving substrates with low miscibility, in which the biocatalyst was recycled five times without significant activity loss. Removal of the co-product, water, from the reaction medium by carrying out the reaction under reduced pressure benefited the esterification reaction and increased the monooleate yield up to 97% within 8 hours.     

Pervaporation-aided enzymatic esterifications in non-conventional media

This paper focuses on enzymatic esterifications in non-conventional media (organic solvents, ionic liquids, and solvent-free systems) with reference to the water removal. Different types of water removal techniques are reviewed with a special emphasis on pervaporation. Pervaporation is a separation process in which liquid is transported through a selective membrane with simultaneous evaporation of permeates. In an integrated process where pervaporation is coupled with a bioreactor where esterification is performed, selective removal of water or other esterification products can be achieved. In this manner benefit can be doubled, due to the equilibrium shift and possible pure product recovery. Available literature on esterifications coupled with pervaporation is presented in detail. Reviewed examples are divided according to the type of reaction media.     

Enzymatic Synthesis of Ethyl-glucoside Monooleate with Lipase in Solvent-free Medium

Ethylglucoside monooleate was synthesized by esterification between ethylglucoside and oleic acid with immobilized lipase from Candida antarctica in a solvent-free system. It was shown that a stirred tank reactor was suitable for the enzymatic reaction process involving substrates with low miscibility, in which the biocatalyst was recycled five times without significant activity loss. Removal of the co-product, water, from the reaction medium by carrying out the reaction under reduced pressure benefited the esterification reaction and increased the monooleate yield up to 97% within 8 hours.     

Lipase-catalyzed esterification of conjugated linoleic acid with <Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-carnitine in solvent-free system and acetonitrile

Lipase-catalyzed esterification of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) with l-carnitine in solvent-free system and acetonitrile was studied. Three lipases (Novzym 435, Amamo AY30 and Amano AYS) have been assayed as suitable biocatalysts in the reaction. It was found that Amano AY30 was the most effective biocatalyst in both solvent-free system and acetonitrile. The conversion rate varied from 8.05 to 60.9% in terms of reaction conditions such as the amount of lipase, the presence of water, the amount of molecular sieves and reaction time. The conversions of substrate in solvent-free system were higher than that in acetonitrile. When the substrates were 1 mmol CLA and 1 mmol l-carnitine, the maximum conversion (60.9%) was obtained in solvent-free system with 150 mg lipase AY30, 50% water content and 150 mg molecular sieves at the reaction time of 24 h. A novel CLA ester product was successfully isolated and characterized by ESI-MS and ¹H NMR.     

Computer-aided control of water activity for lipase-catalyzed esterification in solvent-free systems

A computer system for on-line monitoring and control of the water activity (a(w)) in solvent-free media has been developed. The performance of this system was investigated by carrying out the lipase-catalyzed esterification of n-capric acid with n-decyl alcohol. A humidity sensor measured the relative humidity in the reactor headspace, which was then transmitted electrically to a digital computer that was used as a feedback controller. The water activity control was achieved by sparging either humidified air or dried air through the reaction medium at a flow rate determined by the digital feedback controller. The use of humid air and dry air for a(w) control made it possible to induce a larger a(w) gradient and thereby higher water transfer rate. As a result, the water activity quickly reached the desired a(w) values. We tested whether water activity in the reaction medium can be monitored by measuring relative humidity in the headspace. When the water activity in the liquid phase was determined from measurements of water content in the medium and compared to that measured directly with the humidity sensor, the a(w) in the reaction medium did not differ significantly from that in the headspace. This indicates that there is a near-equilibrium between the liquid medium and the exit air stream. Water activity was also successfully maintained close to the set point despite the massive production of water during the esterification process. Thus, the control system developed in this study is particularly useful for systems where large amounts of water are produced and where conventional methods make it difficult to control water activity as a result of a low water transfer rate. The effects that computer control of the water activity had on the reaction rate and yield were also examined. The reaction yield was significantly improved with water activity control. The conversions obtained at 28 h without and those with water activity control were 70% and 96%, respectively. In addition, from the fact that the final yields increased with decreasing a(w), computer-aided water activity control was performed with a set-point change. By controlling a(w) at 0.55 during initial reaction phase, followed by a step change of a(w) from 0.55 to 0 after 11 h of reaction, it was possible to enhance the final conversion to 100%.     

Comparison of direct esterification and transesterification of fructose by Candida antartica lipase

Fructose oleates synthesis was performed in a batch reactor by trans- or direct esterification. An immobilized lipase from Candida antartica was used. When a solvent was used, 65% and 46% of conversion of fructose were obtained by transesterification and direct esterification, respectively. These two reactions were also compared in a solvent-free melt. Both in molten media and with cosolvent, two isomeric forms of fructose oleates were produced.     

填充床反应器中酶法连续合成甘油二酯的研究

近年来,1,3-甘油二酯(DAG)由于其广泛用途及健康作用日益受到人们的重视。报道了一种无溶剂条件下填充床反应器中连续酶促合成1,3-DAG的方法。研究了填充柱的长径比、进料体积流速、温度、底物摩尔比对酯化率和1,3-DAG产量的影响。结果表明固定化酶填充柱长径比7.8,亚油酸、甘油摩尔比1∶2 ,进料速度1.2mL/min ,65℃条件下酯化反应可实现脂肪酸酯化率、1,3-DAG纯度及生产效率的统一。填充床反应器中固定化酶连续催化酯化反应的一个主要问题即体系水分清除困难。实验研究了采用过量甘油吸附脱水的可行性,亚油酸、甘油摩尔比为1∶2时,可明显改善固定化酶的稳定性,增加LipozymeRMIM的使用寿命。连续运行10d ,残余酶活仍保持在80 %以上,而对照组则仅为52%。     

New assay method based on Raman spectroscopy for enzymes reacting with gaseous substrates

Enzyme activity is typically assayed by quantitatively measuring the initial and final concentrations of the substrates and/or products over a defined time period. For enzymatic reactions involving gaseous substrates, the substrate concentrations can be estimated either directly by gas chromatography or mass spectrometry, or indirectly by absorption spectroscopy, if the catalytic reactions involve electron transfer with electron mediators that exhibit redox‐dependent spectral changes. We have developed a new assay system for measuring the time course of enzymatic reactions involving gaseous substrates based on Raman spectroscopy. This system permits continuous monitoring of the gas composition in the reaction cuvette in a non‐invasive manner over a prolonged time period. We have applied this system to the kinetic study of the [NiFe] hydrogenase from Desulfovibrio vulgaris Miyazaki F. This enzyme physiologically catalyzes the reversible oxidation of H₂ and also possesses the nonphysiological functions of H/D exchange and nuclear spin isomer conversion reactions. The proposed system has the additional advantage of enabling us to measure all of the hydrogenase‐mediated reactions simultaneously. Using the proposed system, we confirmed that H₂ (the fully exchanged product) is concomitantly produced alongside HD by the H/D exchange reaction in the D₂/H₂O system. Based on a kinetic model, the ratio of the rate constants of the H/D exchange reaction (k) at the active site and product release rate (k_out) was estimated to be 1.9 ± 0.2. The proposed assay method based on Raman spectroscopy can be applied to the investigation of other enzymes involving gaseous substrates.     

Erratum to: Solvent-free geranyl oleate production by enzymatic esterification

This study reports the maximization of geranyl oleate production by esterification of geraniol and oleic acid in a solvent-free system using a commercial lipase as catalyst. The operating conditions that maximized geranyl oleate production were determined to be 40?°C, geraniol to oleic acid molar ratio of 5:1, 150?rpm and 10?wt% of enzyme, with a resulting reaction conversion of about 93%. After determining the best reaction parameters, a kinetic study was performed and the results obtained in this step allow to conclude that an excess of alcohol (alcohol to acid molar ratio of 5:1), relatively low enzyme concentration (5?wt%) and temperature of 50?°C afforded nearly complete reaction conversion after 1?h of reaction. New experimental data on enzymatic esterification of geraniol and oleic acid for geranyl oleate production are reported in this work, showing a promising perspective of the technique to overcome the inconvenience of the chemical-catalyzed route.     

Optimized lipase-catalyzed synthesis of adipate ester in a solvent-free system

Immobilized Candida antarctica lipase-catalyzed esterification of adipic acid and oleyl alcohol was investigated in a solvent-free system (SFS). Optimum conditions for adipate ester synthesis in a stirred-tank reactor were determined by the response surface methodology (RSM) approach with respect to important reaction parameters including time, temperature, agitation speed, and amount of enzyme. A high conversion yield was achieved using low enzyme amounts of 2.5% w/w at 60°C, reaction time of 438 min, and agitation speed of 500 rpm. The good correlation between predicted value (96.0%) and actual value (95.5%) implies that the model derived from RSM allows better understanding of the effect of important reaction parameters on the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of adipate ester in an organic solvent-free system. Higher volumetric productivity compared to a solvent-based system was also offered by SFS. The results demonstrate that the solvent-free system is efficient for enzymatic synthesis of adipate ester.     

Removal of water produced from lipase-catalyzed esterification in organic solvent by pervaporation

Esterification of oleic acid with n-butanol in the presence of Lipozyme(R) was carried out at 25 degrees C in isooctane with various initial water activities. Initial reaction rate as well as equilibrium conversion decreased at high initial water activity. Therefore, removal of water present in the reaction mixtures was essential. A pervaporation process was applied to the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of n-butyloleate to remove water. Pervaporation selectively separated water from the reaction mixture using a nonporous polymeric membrane, cellulose acetate. Therefore, pervaporation is potentially applicable to remove the water produced from various enzymatic processes, such as synthesis of various esters, peptides, and glycosides in a solvent system as well as in a solvent-free system. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The influence of cosolvent concentration on enzymatic kinetic resolution of trans-2-phenyl-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid derivatives

A method to improve the enantioselectivity of lipase-catalyzed kinetic resolution (KR) of trans-2-phenyl-cyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid derivatives in water–acetone solution is presented. Two different approaches were compared: enzyme-catalyzed esterification and enzymatic hydrolysis of the target ester. A substantial influence of enzyme type, ethoxy group donor, and solvent on conversion and enantioselectivity of the enzymatic esterification was noted. While enzymatic esterification proceeds with poor enantioselectivity, the hydrolysis of target ester proceeds efficiently. Studies on the influence of cosolvent used for the enzymatic hydrolysis reaction showed that kinetic resolution can be performed in acetone and water buffer mixture predominantly containing organic solvent. Any change in organic solvent content resulted in a substantial decrease in enantioselectivity from almost E = 150 to less than 5.     

Modification of flavonoid using lipase in non-conventional media: effect of the water content

The enzymatic acylation of a flavonoid (naringin) was investigated in this work. This atypic substrate for a lipase was esterified very selectively by the immobilized Candida antarctica lipase: a single product was synthesized and was assumed to be the 6-O-palmitate naringin ester acylated on the glucose moiety. As lipase-catalyzed esterification reactions in organic media are greatly influenced by the water content, the effect of the initial hydration level of the reaction medium components was pointed out for naringin palmitate synthesis. 2-Methyl 2-butanol (solvent) and naringin (acyl acceptor) provided high amounts of water and when dried increased the conversion yield by 63% and the specific activity by 60%. On the contrary, the enzyme must not be dried because water is essential for the three-dimensional structure of the protein and, if absent, results in a 67% loss of activity. As water was produced in parallel to ester synthesis, the equilibrium of the reaction might be shifted by its removal. When the reaction was carried out with 100 g l(-1) molecular sieves 4A added after 24 h of reaction, a conversion yield of 43% was reached after 55 h reaction.     

Solvent-free geranyl oleate production by enzymatic esterification

This study reports the maximization of geranyl oleate production by esterification of geraniol and oleic acid in a solvent-free system using a commercial lipase as catalyst. The operating conditions that maximized geranyl oleate production were determined to be 40 °C, geraniol to oleic acid molar ratio of 5:1, 150 rpm and 10 wt% of enzyme, with a resulting reaction conversion of about 93%. After determining the best reaction parameters, a kinetic study was performed and the results obtained in this step allow to conclude that an excess of alcohol (alcohol to acid molar ratio of 5:1), relatively low enzyme concentration (5 wt%) and temperature of 50 °C afforded nearly complete reaction conversion after 1 h of reaction. New experimental data on enzymatic esterification of geraniol and oleic acid for geranyl oleate production are reported in this work, showing a promising perspective of the technique to overcome the inconvenience of the chemical-catalyzed route.