Lipase-catalyzed Esterification Research Articles

Resolution of Racemic Acids by Irreversible Lipase-Catalyzed Esterification in Organic Solvents

The reversible nature of the direct esterification of acids with alcohols limits the use of this process in the biocatalytic kinetic resolution of chiral acids. A new irreversible procedure, using orthoesters, has been developed.

Combining solvent engineering and thermodynamic modeling to enhance selectivity during monoglyceride synthesis by lipase-catalyzed esterification.

Monoglyceride synthesis by Rhyzomucor miehei lipase was investigated via direct esterification between glycerol (adsorbed onto silica gel) and oleic acid in organic solvents. The main difficulty is to avoid the unwanted production of di- and tri-glycerides. It was demonstrated that an increase in solvent polarity, using mixtures of n-hexane and 2-methyl-2-butanol (2M2B), improves drastically the selectivity toward monoglyceride formation. In pure n-hexane, the monoglyceride represents only 6 molar % of the total products at the thermodynamic equilibrium (34 and 60% for di- and tri-glyceride respectively). Use of an equivolume mixture of n-hexane/2M2B enables a product mixture to be obtained containing 94% of monoglyceride at equilibrium (2.4 and 0% for di- and tri-glyceride respectively). This positive effect is counterbalanced by a decrease both in initial velocities and in substrate conversion at thermodynamic equilibrium.A modeling, able to predict the three thermodynamic equilibria governing the 3 consecutive reactions, based on activity coefficient calculations using the UNIFAC model, is proposed. It takes into account both the partition of water between solvent and immobilized catalyst, and the partition of glycerol between solvent and silica gel. A good correlation with experimental data obtained in n-hexane/2M2B mixtures was observed.

Kinetics of the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of glucose esters in acetone.

A simple kinetic model derived from a ping-pong bi-bi mechanism is proposed to describe the lipase-catalyzed esterification of glucose with fatty acids. The mathematical expressions derived from this model have been tested using several sets of data obtained from reactions carried out under different reaction conditions. The predicted values provide very good fits of the experimental data for temperatures from 30 to 60 degrees C, enzyme loadings from 90 to 180 mg, and fatty acid concentrations from 0.33M to 1M. Experiments conducted at different temperatures permit one to estimate an activation energy of approximately 12 kcal/mol for the rate-limiting step of the reaction (formation of the acyl-enzyme complex). The model also considers the kinetics of inactivation of the biocatalyst during the reaction.

Determination of log P for pressurized carbon dioxide and its characterization as a medium for enzyme reaction.

The log P value of pressurized CO(2) at 50 degrees C was determined from the solubility of 1-octanol in CO(2) and compared with other solvent parameters such as permittivity, epsilon, and polarity parameter, E(T)(30). The log P indicated that pressurized CO(2) is rather hydrophilic although it seems hydrophobic being judged from epsilon(r) and E(T)(30). With a change in pressure from 3 to 11.8 MPa, the log P changed from 0.9 to 2.0 while epsilon(r) and E(T)(30) changed only slightly. The log P was linearly correlated to the logarithm of the solubility of water among organic solvents. Pressurized CO(2) was located close to the linear correlation line among the solvents at high pressure (>11 MPa) but its location deviated to the hydrophilic side with a decrease in pressure. Lipase-catalyzed esterification of stearic acid with ethanol and hydrolysis of ethyl stearate were carried out in pressurized CO(2), benzene (log P = 2.0), and n-hexane (log P = 3.5). In spite of the lowest log P value for CO(2), the reaction rate in CO(2) was the highest among solvents tested in pressure range over 10 MPa. The reaction rate was strongly dependent on pressure of CO(2).

High-yield preparation of wax esters via lipase-catalyzed esterification using fatty acids and alcohols from crambe and camelina oils.

Fatty acids obtained from seed oils of crambe (Crambe abyssinica) and camelina (Camelina sativa) via alkaline saponification or steam splitting were esterified using lipases as biocatalysts with oleyl alcohol and the alcohols derived from crambe and camelina oils via hydrogenolysis of their methyl esters. Long-chain wax esters were thus obtained in high yields when Novozym 435 (immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica) and papaya (Carica papaya) latex lipase were used as biocatalysts and vacuum was applied to remove the water formed. The highest conversions to wax esters were obtained with Novozym 435 (> or =95%) after 4-6 h of reaction, whereas with papaya latex lipase such a high degree of conversion was attained after 24 h. Products obtained from stoichiometric amounts of substrates were almost exclusively (>95%) composed of wax esters having compositions approaching that of jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) oil, especially when crambe fatty acids in combination with camelina alcohols or camelina fatty acids in combination with crambe alcohols were used as substrates.

Effect of electrode parameters on charge performance of a lead-acid cell

Kinetics of lipase-catalyzed esterification of butyric acid and isoamyl alcohol have been investigated. The reaction rate could be described in terms of the Michaelis–Menten equation with a Ping-Pong Bi-Bi mechanism and competitive inhibition by both the substrates. No evidence of any significant diffusional limitations was detected that could affect the kinetics. The values of the apparent kinetic parameters were computed as: Vmax=11.72 μmol/min/mg; KM, Acid=0.00303 M; KM, Alcohol=0.00306 M; Ki, Acid=1.05 M; and Ki, Alcohol=6.55 M. This study indicates a competitive enzyme inhibition by butyric acid during lipase-catalyzed esterification reaction. Butyric acid, being a short-chain polar acid, concentrates in the microaqueous layer and causes a pH drop in the enzyme microenvironment leading to enzyme inactivation. Butyric acid binds to acyl–enzyme complex unproductively to yield a dead-end intermediate that can no longer give rise to an ester. High concentration of butyric acid gave rise to inactivation of the biocatalyst in addition to dead-end inhibition.

Synthesis of the antistroke drug lubeluzole and its enantiomer. Lipase-catalyzed resolution of chiral building block.

1-Chloro-3-(3,4-difluorophenoxy)-2-propanol was kinetically resolved by lipase-catalyzed esterification with vinyl butanoate in organic medium to yield the (S)-butanoate and the (R)-alcohol as the remaining substrate. In an enantioconvergent synthesis the mixture was subject to Mitsunobu esterification in one pot which converted the (R)-alcohol to the (S)-ester. The (S)-butanoate was hydrolyzed by lipase catalysis to give (S)-1-chloro-3-(3,4-difluorophenoxy)-2-propanol. The two enantiopure chiral building blocks were used for synthesis of Lubeluzole and its enantiomer respectively.

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%.

Scanning electron microscopic studies of lipase-catalysed esterification catalysis for the synthesis of stearoyl lactate and p-cresyl laurate.

The state of three lipases, two from Rhizomucor miehei and one from porcine pancreas, employed in the esterification reactions leading to the preparation of food additive esters were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The lipases employed in the synthesis of stearoyl lactic acid and p-cresyl laurate in 10 ml solvent at 40–60 °C in shake-flask experiments and 150 ml in non-polar solvents at 50–60 °C in bench-scale level experiments were compared. All three lipases, which were subjected to high temperatures and non-polar solvents for a prolonged period of incubation of 72–120 h, showed decrease in the ‘compactness’ when compared to unused lipase. The presence of buffer preserved the activity and compactness and the absence of the same reduced the amount of enzyme per unit area on the support. R. miehei lipase samples subjected to reaction in presence of 0.0004 ml of 0.1 M buffer/mg enzyme preparation at different pH values (4.0–9.0) showed a decrease in compactness of the enzyme on the surface which correlated to an increase in esterification activity. An increase in volume of buffer (0.0002–0.003 ml/mg enzyme preparation) in the reaction mixture at pH 7.0 showed a decrease in compactness and also a reduction in activity. The studies indicate that a compromise between pH and volume of buffer can lead to variation in the extent of adsorption, distribution and activity, enabling the achievement of maximum conversions in the esterification reactions.

Influence of water activity and water content on sugar esters lipase-catalyzed synthesis in organic media

Lipase-catalysed ester bond synthesis in organic media was directed by thermodynamic water activity of the reaction mixture. The effects of water activity and water content were investigated with fructose palmitate synthesis catalysed by Candida antarctica lipase. Conversion yield, initial rate of synthesis and reaction selectivity were analysed. Initial water activity of the reaction medium was fixed at a desired value by pre-equilibration with saturated salt solutions. C. antarctica lipase activity depended strongly on initial water activity value. Conversion yield and initial rate decreased with the increase of water activity. Whatever the aw value, fructose monopalmitate was only synthesised. The best results were achieved for a reaction medium with an initial water activity less than 0.07. In these conditions, 28.5% of fructose was acylated in fructose monopalmitate with an initial rate of 4.9 g l−1h−1. To improve the process, the effect of the water was determined by drying the medium with molecular sieves. Conversion yield of fructose and initial rate of fructose monopalmitate synthesis were raised, respectively, to 73.4% (32 g l−1) and 10.1 g l−1 h−1. However, the use of dried medium affected the selectivity of the reaction. In these conditions, both mono- and di-fructose palmitate were synthesised (16.7 g l−1).

Lipase-Catalyzed Esterification

Lipases are versatile catalysts. In addition to their natural reaction of fat hydrolysis, lipases catalyze a plethora of other reactions such as esterification, amidation, and transesterification of esters as well as organic carbonates. Moreover, lipases accept a wide variety of substrates while maintaining their regioselectivity and stereoselectivity. Lipases are highly stable even under adverse conditions such as organic solvents, high temperatures, and so forth. Applications of lipases include production of food additives, chiral intermediates, and pharmaceutical products. Among these, synthesis of various chiral intermediates in pharmaceutical industry and cocoa butter substitutes is being commercially exploited currently. Lipase-catalyzed esterification and transesterification in anhydrous media (e.g., organic solvents and supercritical fluids) has been an area of major research activity in the past decade or so. Absence of water eliminates the competing hydrolysis reaction. Moreover, substrate specificity, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity of the enzyme can be controlled by varying the reaction medium. Although organic solvents, which are generally used for lipase-catalyzed reactions, are nearly anhydrous; they contain water in trace quantities. This water content can be controlled over a range and has a profound effect on the activity of lipases. Water not only affects the enzyme but also acts as a competing nucleophile. Enzyme activity has been correlated with thermodynamic activity of water in the medium rather than with the concentration of water. Because lipases are not soluble in most organic solvents, the method of preparation of the enzyme has a strong influence on the enzymatic activity. The major factors are the pH of the aqueous solution in which the enzyme last existed, additives used during preparation, and method of removal of water (e.g., freeze-drying, evaporation, extraction of enzyme into solvent, etc.). Immobilization of lipases allows easy recovery and reuse of the enzyme. Various immobilization techniques have been studied for lipases and some of them have been shown to enhance the activity and stability of the enzyme. Enzyme stability is an important parameter determining the commercial feasibility of the enzymatic process. Various factors, such as temperature, reaction medium, water concentration, as well as the method of preparation, affect the stability of the lipases. This review deals with fundamental as well as practical aspects of lipase catalysis. A discussion has been presented on various factors affecting lipase activity and stability. Moreover, a brief account of current and potential applications of lipases has been given.

Selectivity of lipases: isolation of fatty acids from castor, coriander, and meadowfoam oils

The lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of castor, coriander, and meadowfoam oils was studied in a two-phase water/oil system. The lipases from Candida rugosa and Pseudomonas cepacia released all fatty acids from the triglycerides randomly, with the exception of castor oil. In the latter case, the P. cepacia lipase discriminated against ricinoleic acid. The lipase from Geotrichum candidum discriminated against unsaturated acids having the double bond located at the Δ-6 (petroselinic acid in coriander oil) and Δ-5 (meadowfoam oil) position or with a hydroxy substituent (ricinoleic acid). The expression of the selectivities of the G. candidum lipase was most pronounced in lipase-catalyzed esterification reactions, which was exploited as part of a two-step process to prepare highly concentrated fractions of the acids. In the first step the oils were hydrolyzed to their respective free fatty acids, in the second step a selective lipase was used to catalyze esterification of the acids with 1-butanol. This resulted in an enrichment of the targeted acids to approximately 95—98% in the unesterified acid fractions compared to the 70—90% content in the starting acid fractions.

Enantio-reversal in Candida rugosa lipase-catalyzed esterification of 3-hydroxybutyric acid

Candida rugosa lipase (CRL)-catalyzed esterification of racemic 3-hydroxybutyric acid with different nucleophilic alcohols was studied. The alcohol chain length was found to have a profound role in the enantioselectivity of the reaction. As compared to the esterification with 1-butanol, use of longer alcohols surprisingly led to an enantio-reversal. Under optimized condition, the ( R)-ester with 95–98% enantiomeric excess (ee) was obtained when the esterification was carried out with 1-hexanol and 1-octanol in the presence of freshly activated molecular sieve 4 Å.

Immobilization of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase in a phyllosilicate sol-gel matrix: effectiveness as a biocatalyst.

A novel procedure is described for immobilizing a lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia (PS-30) within a phyllosilicate sol-gel matrix. The method is based on cross-linking a phyllosilicate clay with silicate polymers produced by the controlled hydrolysis of tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS). The activity of the phyllosilicate sol-gel-immobilized lipase was dependent upon the type of alkylammonium salt, inorganic catalyst and volume ratio of phyllosilicate clay to TMOS used. Lipase PS-30 immobilized in this way was more stable and had higher activity compared with the free lipase. Studies on the lipase-catalysed esterification of lauric acid with octan-1-ol in iso-octane showed that under controlled water activity conditions the phyllosilicate sol-gel-immobilized lipase had better activity compared with other supported lipase preparations. In addition, the phyllosilicate sol-gel-immobilized lipase was reusable for at least five esterification cycles without significant loss of activity.

Monitoring Enzyme Catalysis with Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry is a rapid, sensitive, and accurate quantitative approach for the direct monitoring of enzyme-catalyzed reactions that does not require a chromophore or radiolabeling and thus provides a viable alternative to existing analytical techniques. In this study the proteolysis of intact viral capsid proteins, the alpha-glucosidase-catalyzed hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl-alpha-glucopyranoside and the lipoprotein lipase-catalyzed ester hydrolysis of resorufin were examined. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry were used to examine the proteolysis of viral protein capsids, providing information about capsid dynamics and the stabilizing force of viral protein/RNA interactions. In addition, k(cat) and K(m) values of enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis were obtained (without the use of a chromophore). These results also demonstrate the effect an unnatural substrate can have on enzyme activity. Overall, mass spectrometry provides for efficient and quantitative analysis of enzyme-catalyzed reactions, as well as the direct observation of reaction dynamics.

NMR on-line monitoring of esterification catalyzed by cutinase

A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method has been developed to monitor on-line lipase-catalyzed esterification reactions without the need to sample the reaction medium. The technique, through (1)H NMR, measures the concentrations of alcohol, ester, hydroxylic hydrogens in the organic phase, and hydroxylic hydrogens in the aqueous phase, if any. Also, the chemical shift evolution of the two types of hydroxylic hydrogens has been followed, providing information on water content of the organic phase and on the appearance of a distinct aqueous phase. As far as (13)C NMR is concerned, it has been possible to measure, first the acid and the ester concentrations in the carbonyl region, and second, the alcohol and the ester concentrations in the methylene region. All (1)H and (13)C results are in agreement with one another. Furthermore, NMR allows for the choice of detection zone. Preliminary studies on the solid phase proved the presence of much more water in the solid phase than in the organic phase, and also gave evidence of the existence of two types of esters, one in the organic phase, mainly associated with the acid, and the other one not associated with the acid, most probably entrapped within the solid enzyme.

Lipase-catalyzed resolution of 2-fluorodecanoic acid

Kinetic resolutions of alkyl (±)-2-fluorodecanoates by lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis and of (±)-2-fluorodecanoic acid by lipase-catalyzed esterification are described for the first time.

Enzymatic synthesis of alpha-butylglucoside linoleate in a packed bed reactor for future pilot scale-up.

The enzymatic synthesis of a mixture of unsaturated fatty acid alpha-butylglucoside esters, containing more than 60% alpha-butylglucoside linoleate, was achieved through lipase-catalyzed esterification. The continuous evaporation under reduced pressure of the water produced enabled substrate conversions greater than 95% to be reached. Two immobilized lipases from Candida antarctica (Chirazyme L2, c.-f., C2) and Rhizomucor miehei (Chirazyme L9, c.-f.) were compared in stirred batch and packed bed configurations. When the synthesis was carried out in stirred batch mode, C. antarctica lipase appeared to be of greater interest than the R. miehei enzyme in terms of stability and regioselectivity. Surprisingly, a change in the process design to a packed bed configuration enabled the stability of R. miehei lipase to be significantly improved, while the C. antarctica lipase efficiency to synthesize unsaturated fatty acid alpha-butylglucoside esters was slightly decreased. Water content in the microenvironment of the biocatalyst was assumed to be responsible for such changes. When the process is run in stirred batch mode, the conditions used promote the evaporation of the essential water surrounding the enzyme, which probably leads to R. miehei lipase dehydration. In contrast, the packed bed design enabled such water evaporation in the microenvironment of the biocatalyt to be avoided, which resulted in a tremendous improvement of R. miehei lipase stability. However, C. antarctica lipase led to the formation of 3% diesters, whereas the final percentage of diesters reached 21% when R. miehei enzyme was used as biocatalyst. A low content of diesters is of greater interest in terms of alpha-butylglucoside linoleate application as linoleic acid carrier, and therefore the enzyme choice will have to be made depending on the properties expected for the final product.

Lipase-catalysed esterification of oleic acid and ethanol in a continuous packed bed reactor, using supercritical CO2 as solvent: approximation of system kinetics

This work investigated the immobilised lipase kinetics of esterification of oleic acid and ethanol. The reaction was conducted under supercritical conditions (13 × 106 Pa and 40 °C) using carbon dioxide as solvent in a continuous packed bed (plug flow) reactor. Biocatalyst LypozymeTM IM60, which is lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (EC.3.1.1.3), immobilised on Duolite (anionic exchange resin) was used as biocatalyst. Kinetically, with regard to oleic acid, the reaction was successfully modelled by the Michaelis–Menten mechanism. The reaction rate constants Km and Vmax were evaluated. Furthermore, it was found to undergo competitive inhibition by ethanol, and the inhibition constant Ki was evaluated. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry

Optical Resolution of Non-Protein Amino Acids by Lipase-Catalyzed Ester Hydrolysis

The enantioselectivity of the lipase-catalyzed hydrolysis of amino acid esters was found to be strongly dependent on the source of the enzyme, the N-protecting group and the alcohol moiety of the ester group. The 2-chloroethyl esters of the N-benzyloxycarbonyl (Z) derivatives of a number of non-protein amino acids, both aliphatic and aromatic, were converted by Aspergillus niger lipase into enantiomerically enriched Z-amino acids with fairly high optical purities, the L-enantiomers being preferentially hydrolyzed. A mammalian lipase from porcine pancreas also catalyzed the highly enantioselective hydrolysis of the 2-chloroethyl or 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl esters of the N-Z derivatives of non-protein amino acids. The results obtained in this work indicate that suitable selection of amino acid derivatives and enzymes allows highly enantioselective hydrolysis with moderate to high reaction rate useful for the optical resolution of non-protein amino acids.