Transglucosylation of tertiary alcohols using cassava β-glucosidase

Abstract

We have compared the ability of β-glucosidases from cassava, Thai rosewood, and almond to synthesize alkyl glucosides by transglucosylating alkyl alcohols of chain length C 1–C 8. Cassava linamarase shows greater ability to transfer glucose from p-nitrophenyl-β-glucoside to secondary alcohol acceptors than other β-glucosidases, and is unique in being able to synthesize C 4, C 5, and C 6 tertiary alkyl β-glucosides with high yields of 94%, 82%, and 56%, respectively. Yields of alkyl glucosides could be optimized by selecting appropriate enzyme concentrations and incubation times. Cassava linamarase required pNP-glycosides as donors and could not use mono- or di-saccharides as sugar donors in alkyl glucoside synthesis.