Biocatalysis of aromatic benzyl-propionate ester by different immobilized lipases

• Published in: Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering
• Main Authors: Sa A. G. A., de Meneses A. C., Lerin L. A., de Araujo P. H. H., Sayer C., de Oliveira D.
• Other Authors: Sa, A. G. A., de Meneses, A. C., Lerin, L. A., de Araujo, P. H. H., Sayer, C., de Oliveira, D.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Benzyl propionate; Enzyme; Esterification; Flavor; Synthesis; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11392/2464212; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-018-1893-4; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00449-018-1893-4

Abstract: Benzyl propionate is an aromatic ester that possesses a fruity odor and is usually found in nature in the composition of some fruits such as plums and melons. This work aimed for the benzyl propionate synthesis by esterification using a new immobilized enzyme preparation with low-cost material from Candida antarctica (NS 88011) and three commercial immobilized lipases (Novozym 435, Lipozyme TL-IM and Lipozyme RM-IM). Novozym 435 had the best performance even when the solvent tert-butanol was absent of the reaction medium. Results from a 22 factorial design showed that an increase in the enzyme amount led to a higher conversion, even when the temperature was kept at the low value. Currently, no research had synthesized successfully benzyl propionate via esterification mediated by lipases; and we reached an ester conversion of ~ 44% after 24h indicating that it is a promising route for benzyl propionate biotechnological production.