Enzymatic Synthesis of Formate Ester through Immobilized Lipase and Its Reuse

Abstract

Octyl formate is an important substance used in the perfume industry in products such as cosmetics, perfumes, and flavoring. Octyl formate is mostly produced by chemical catalysts. However, using enzymes as catalysts has gathered increasing interest due to their environment-friendly proprieties. In the present study, we aimed to identify the optimal conditions for the synthesis of octyl formate through immobilized enzyme-mediated esterification. We investigated the effects of enzymatic reaction parameters including the type of immobilized enzyme, enzyme concentration, molar ratio of reactants, reaction temperature, and type of solvent using the optimization method of one factor at a time (OFAT). The maximum conversion achieved was 96.51% with Novozym 435 (15 g/L), a 1:7 formic acid to octanol ratio, a reaction temperature of 40 °C, and with 1,2-dichloroethane as solvent. Moreover, we demonstrated that the Novozym 435 can be reused under the optimal conditions without affecting the octyl formate yield, which could help reduce the economic burden associated with enzymatic synthesis.

Improved Productivity of Naringin Oleate with Flavonoid and Fatty Acid by Efficient Enzymatic Esterification

“…When water activity is low, insufficient water is provided to form the essential water layer around the enzyme, which negatively affects enzymatic activity. High water activity can cause an excessively thick water layer, which leads to a competition effect between esterification and hydrolysis, also resulting in inhibition of the enzymatic activity [ 4 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 21 , 29 , 30 ].…”

“…When sufficient substrate is present in the enzyme reaction, the concentration of the enzyme-substrate intermediate increases as the enzyme concentration increases and the reaction rate increases according to the Michaelis–Menten equation [ 4 , 12 , 13 , 35 ]. The active sites of the enzyme molecules, which are present in excess, are not sufficiently exposed to the substrate and thus do not contribute to the reaction [ 15 , 21 , 36 ]. In addition, excessive enzyme concentrations cause a limitation of the mass transfer of substrates and products [ 12 , 13 , 29 ].…”

“…The role of the solvent in enzymatic reaction is also important. The factors affecting the conversion of solvents are very diverse, including solubility of the substrate, hydrophobicity, polarity, toxicity to enzymes, and regioselectivity [ 12 , 13 , 15 , 19 , 21 ]. Lipase can catalyze both esterification and hydrolysis reactions, and the reaction varies depending on the substrate and the surrounding environment.…”

“…It has a chemical structure in which two sugars are bound to naringenin. It is used in various products, such as supplements and cosmetics, because of its superior antioxidant and anticancer properties [ 4 , 21 ]. Citrus fruits are among the most popular fruits worldwide; however, they cause environmental problems owing to the amount of waste peel produced as result of their consumption [ 3 , 4 , 22 ].…”

The beauty of biocatalysis: sustainable synthesis of ingredients in cosmetics

“…Octyl formate 71 has a rose/orange scent to it and has been prepared from octanol and formic acid using Novozym 435 immobilised lipase. 345…”