LARGE-SCALE PRODUCTION OF CHIRAL ALCOHOLS WITH BAKERS-YEAST

Chiral alcohols were produced on a large scale by developing effective regeneration systems of nicotinamide coenzymes in bakers' yeast cells . In the asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones, ethanol is used in stead of carbohydrate as the energy source for NAD(P)H regeneration. W e propose an overall scheme for NAD(P)H regeneration from NAD(P)(+) th rough the oxidative pathway of ethanol, In the oxidative resolution of a racemic alcohol, NAD(+) is effectively regenerated from NADH throug h the respiratory chain in the yeast cells. Thus, racemic 1,2-alkanedi ols were microbially resolved on a large scale by repeating the oxidat ive resolution and the asymmetric reduction.