Carrot Roots as Clean and Sustainable Biocatalyst for Obtaining Natural Menthol

Abstract

Bioreduction of Essential Oil of Mentha piperita L. (EOMP) After the determination of the ideal reaction conditions using the bioreduction of acetophenone as model, the reaction was anew performed following the parameters of test B. The EOMP, however, already presents menthol as the major compound, but with the reduction of the carbonyl monoterpenoids present in this essential oil it is possible to significantly raise the menthol content in the sample (Moghtader, 2013). Daucus carota used the ketone monoterpenoids as substrates and promoted the bioreduction of these selectively for the menthol compound. The data show that the bioreduction reaction mediated by carrot pieces is also effective in the presence of multiple molecules as in the case of EOMP. Essential oils represent value-added substances in the industrial sector due to their bioactive and technological potential, they also represent renewable sources to obtain molecules of interest. The molecular modification of these compounds by biocatalytic methods is an economically viable alternative that minimizes processes of purification and extraction. The data obtained in the present work show a further advantage of the use of Daucus carota as a source of biocatalyst with the ability to biotransform substrates directly from a matrix and the EOMP without prior purification in the medium of the unbuffered aqueous solution leading to a clean and sustainable of menthol. CONCLUSIONS In summary, this work proposes a modification in the traditional biocatalytic methodology, where the EOMP is used as a source of multiple substrates. Daucus carota was able to promote the bioreduction of the ketone monoterpenoids present in the EOMP leading to a menthol enrichment in the sample with high selectivity. Thus promoting a cleaner and more sustainable reaction to obtain a compound of great industrial interest.