Esterification of methyl glycoside mixtures by lipase catalysis

Abstract

The acylation of a mixture of methyl α-D-galacto-, methyl β-D-gluco- and methyl β-D-mannopyranosides by octanoic acid was catalysed by lipases from Candida antarctica, Pseudomonas cepacia, Candida rugosa OF or Mucor miehei in acetonitrile at 45°C. The methyl glycopyranosides had the same anomeric configuration as that of the softwood hemicellulose galactoglucomannan. C. rugosa OF lipase had almost no substrate specificity and P. cepacia lipase had a high substrate specificity for the esterification of methyl α-D-galactopyranoside.