TRANSESTERIFICATION OF CITRONELLYL BUTYRATE AND GERANYL CAPROATE
259
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FIG. 7. Effect of reuse of immobilized lipase PS on synthesis of citronel-
lyl butyrate and geranyl caproate by transesterification in n-hexane.
After each 24-h run, the enzyme was washed with hexane and the sol-
vent evaporated prior to reuse.
10. Chulalaksananukul, W., J.S. Condoret., and D. Combes, Ger-
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tivity was greatly restored (12). Our results here were not as
successful. We speculate that this is probably due to the im-
mobilization technique used. Adsorption methods, although
simple and easy to perform, rely on physical and ionic inter-
actions, and enzymes can easily be desorbed from the sup-
port. In nonaqueous media, enzymes are not normally soluble
in organic solvents. Thus, simple techniques, such as adsorp-
tion, can be used (22) provided that synthetic reactions occur
and good conversion yields are obtained. Despite this disad-
vantage, adsorption techniques have been used for some in-
dustrial processes (23) and have been shown to work success-
fully in transesterification and esterification reactions in non-
aqueous systems (24), in particular, in the production of
short-chain flavor esters (25).
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Under the conditions of this study, we have demonstrated
that lipase PS can synthesize citronellyl butyrate and geranyl
caproate by transesterification reactions. By testing the para-
meters that affect lipase PS activity on terpene ester synthe-
sis, we have shown that suitable conditions can be selected to
optimize its biocatalytic activity, as well as promote their use
for the production of commercial flavor esters.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This work was supported by the Agricultural Experimental Station,
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and The Uni-
versity of Georgia Research Foundation Biotechnology Grant.
21. Laane, C., S. Boeren, K. Vos, and C. Veeger, Rules for Opti-
mization of Biocatalysis in Organic Solvents, Biotechnol. Bio-
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JAOCS, Vol. 74, no. 3 (1997)