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.