Seawater‐Based Biocatalytic Strategy: Stereoselective Reductions of Ketones with Marine Yeasts

Abstract

The large consumption of freshwater in fermentations and bio‐transformations is a matter of concern for the sustainability of many bio‐processes. The use of seawater to perform bio‐processes is a sustainable alternative. In this work, we used marine yeasts from deep‐sub‐seafloor sediments grown in seawater as bio‐catalysts to perform the stereoselective reduction of different ketones, and the bio‐transformations were accomplished in seawater as well. Strains of Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were able to reduce different aromatic ketones with high molar conversions and moderate‐to‐high enantioselectivity with no significant differences between bio‐catalysis performed in seawater and freshwater. Finally, the selected marine yeasts were used for the reduction of key intermediates in seawater for the synthesis of molecules of pharmaceutical interest (desogestrel, norgestrel, gestodene, pramipexole).

Improved Biocatalytic Activity of the Debaryomyces Species in Seawater

“…A few recent reports have demonstrated the possibility of using seawater as an alternative to freshwater in biocatalytic processes –. The present work aimed to explore its scope and potential use in industry in‐depth.…”

“…Serra et al. have demonstrated that several Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa strains, isolated at different deep‐sub‐seafloor sediment depths in New Zealand, are able to reduce aromatic ketones with high molar conversions and moderate‐to‐high enantioselectivity in both freshwater and seawater . More recently, this research group has also reported the use of one of these strains, Meyerozyma guilliermondii LM2 (UBOCC‐A‐214008), for the efficient hydrolysis of benzonitrile and the dynamic kinetic resolution of mandelonitrile in seawater .…”

Whole‐Cell Biocatalysis in Seawater: New Halotolerant Yeast Strains for the Regio‐ and Stereoselectivity Reduction of 1‐Phenylpropane‐1,2‐Dione in Saline‐Rich Media

“…However, the low solubility of hydrophobic substrates in water entails using large quantities of this liquid, which is another problem in industrial processes, and an important one to analyze and solve . Seawater has been proposed as a bio‐sustainable alternative to using freshwater . Seawater is a widely available inexpensive resource; in fact, 71 % of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans.…”

“…However, the use of large quantities of water in industrial processes does not benefit the environment and is another important problem to investigate . Seawater is an inexpensive widely available resource that has been proposed as a bio‐sustainable alternative to using freshwater . Oceans constitute the most important reservoir of biodiversity in nature, with microorganisms adapted to high salinity that can be used in biotechnological applications to perform bioprocesses under salinity conditions .…”

“…Oceans constitute the most important reservoir of biodiversity in nature, with microorganisms adapted to high salinity that can be used in biotechnological applications to perform bioprocesses under salinity conditions . Recently, the ability of whole cells of marine and other halotolerant yeasts to perform biocatalytic processes in seawater has been described by us and other authors . In our previous works, we used several Debaryomyces and Schwanniomyces halotolerant yeast strains for some biocatalytic processes using seawater as a solvent.…”