Developing a High-Temperature Solvent-Free System for Efficient Biocatalysis of Octyl Ferulate

Abstract

Ferulic acid esters have been suggested as a group of natural chemicals that have the function of sunscreen. The study aimed to utilize an environmentally-friendly enzymatic method through the esterification of ferulic acid with octanol, producing octyl ferulate. The Box-Behnken experimental design for response surface methodology (RSM) was performed to determine the synthesis effects of variables, including enzyme amount (1000-2000 propyl laurate units (PLU)), reaction temperature (70-90 • C), and stir speed (50-150 rpm) on the molar conversion of octyl ferulate. According to the joint test, both the enzyme amount and reaction temperature had great impacts on the molar conversion. An RSM-developed second-order polynomial equation further showed a data-fitting ability. Using ridge max analysis, the optimal parameters of the biocatalyzed reaction were: 72 h reaction time, 92.2 • C reaction temperature, 1831 PLU enzyme amount, and 92.4 rpm stir speed, respectively. Finally, the molar conversion of octyl ferulate under optimum conditions was verified to be 93.2 ± 1.5%. In conclusion, it has been suggested that a high yield of octyl ferulate should be synthesized under elevated temperature conditions with a commercial immobilized lipase. Our findings could broaden the utilization of the lipase and provide a biocatalytic approach, instead of the chemical method, for ferulic acid ester synthesis.

Novozym 40086 as a novel biocatalyst to improve benzyl cinnamate synthesis

“…Compared with chemical catalysts, due to the thermal instability of cinnamic acid, biocatalysts have attracted more attention for the esterication. [13][14][15][16] For example, in the reports of Wang et al and Zhang et al, 10,12 lipozyme TLIM was used as a biocatalyst to prepare benzyl cinnamate, and a high yield (97%) can be obtained. For the immobilized biocatalysts, the carrier features can affect the activity and stability of immobilized enzymes.…”

Optimization of Ammonia Oxidation Using Response Surface Methodology

“…Because of its usability, this method is applied for the design, improvement and optimization of production processes and products [19][20][21]. It is a widely applied method in research of various processes [22][23][24][25][26][27] and approx. 50% of all applications is in medicine, engineering, biochemistry, physics and computer science [28].…”

Biocatalysis: Chemical Biosynthesis

“…The minimal environmental and economic burden posed by enzymes is further diminished by the potential to engineer even more active variants than can be found in nature, to optimize expression efficiencies and fermentation yields, and to immobilize and reuse these powerful catalysts. Biocatalysis has been used widely to produce chiral pharmaceutical intermediates to make small molecule drugs [5].This Special Issue discusses some of the key drivers and scientific developments that are expanding the application of biocatalysis in the pharmaceutical industry through several examples; kinetic characteristics of cofactor-enzyme complex against aldehydes giving important pharmaceutical precursors [6], cyclodextrin glucanotransferase from Thermoanaerobacter sp is able to glycosylate a ternary alchols [7,8], bi-enzymatic cascade for the synthesis of optically pure compounds [9], Sporomusa ovata used as microbial catalyst to determine whether electron uptake is hydrogen-dependent [10] and esterification of ferulate with octanol catalyzed by lipase in a solvent-free system [11]. In addition, two reviews on biocatalysis as a useful tool in asymmetric synthesis [12] and pseudokinases as suitable drug targets for the treatment of various diseases [13] give an idea about the impact of biocatalysis in drug development.The research article of Karanam et al deals with the importance of an (R) specific carbonyl reductase from Candida parapsilosis as a biocatalyst in the reduction of ketones and keto-esters of aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes [6].…”

“…This Special Issue discusses some of the key drivers and scientific developments that are expanding the application of biocatalysis in the pharmaceutical industry through several examples; kinetic characteristics of cofactor-enzyme complex against aldehydes giving important pharmaceutical precursors [6], cyclodextrin glucanotransferase from Thermoanaerobacter sp is able to glycosylate a ternary alchols [7,8], bi-enzymatic cascade for the synthesis of optically pure compounds [9], Sporomusa ovata used as microbial catalyst to determine whether electron uptake is hydrogen-dependent [10] and esterification of ferulate with octanol catalyzed by lipase in a solvent-free system [11]. In addition, two reviews on biocatalysis as a useful tool in asymmetric synthesis [12] and pseudokinases as suitable drug targets for the treatment of various diseases [13] give an idea about the impact of biocatalysis in drug development.…”