• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.705-711
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• 2005

The reaction of lauric acid vinyl ester with n-butanol was established to give lauric acid butyl ester by subtilisin A-catalyzed transesterification in organic media containing nonionic surfactants. Pyridine has been used as an organic solvent since it provides higher yields than other organic solvents. However, because of stench of pyridine, compounds enzymatically synthesized in pyridine may be unsuitable as ingredients for foods and drugs. Hence, in order to select an organic solvent to replace pyridine, sugar esters were synthesized with the protease in various organic media. However, no solvent paralleled pyridine in yields. On the basis of this result, pyridine-based W/O microemulsions containing nonionic surfactants and water were used in enzymatic synthesis of the sugar ester, and when Tween 60, Brij 56, or 1-O-octyl-${\beta}$-D-glucopyranose was used for the W/O microemulsions, the yield was higher.