A KINETIC-MODEL FOR THE DEACTIVATION OF PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE (PDC) BY BENZALDEHYDE

To provide further understanding of the biotransformation of benzaldeh yde to L-phenylacetyl carbinol (L-PAC), an intermediate in L-ephedrine production, a kinetic model has been developed for the deactivation o f pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) by benzaldehyde. The model confirms tha t deactivation is first order with respect to benzaldehyde concentrati on and exhibits a square root dependency on time. The model covers the range of benzaldehyde concentrations 100-300 mM, as it has been shown previously that 200 mM benzaldehyde can produce L-PAC concentrations up to 190 mM (28.6 g/L) using partially purified PDC from Candida util is.