ENZYME-CATALYZED ESTERIFICATION

Enzyme catalyzed esterification reactions have found many applications , ranging from the modification of vegetable oils for human consumptio n to the production of optically pure chemicals. To displace the equil ibrium in favor of synthesis, rather than hydrolysis, these reactions are performed in non-aqueous or microaqueous media. The influence of t he amount of water, and of the nature of organic solvent, are new para meters to consider in the optimization of industrial processes. They a lso add a new perspective to our knowledge of the functioning of enzym es. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.