ENANTIOSELECTIVE REDUCTION OF 3,4-METHYLENE-DIOXYPHENYLACETONE USING CANDIDA-FAMATA AND ZYGOSACCHAROMYCES-ROUXII

In an effort to prepare 3,4-methylene-dioxyphenyl-(S)-isopropanol from 3,4-methylene-dioxyphenylacetone, an initial screen of microbes indic ated that Candida famata could catalyze this reaction efficiently at l ow substrate concentration. A dilute, large-scale process was develope d to provide experimental material for the chemical synthesis to be ex plored. However, the productivity number of this process [0.134 g prod uct (g wet weight cells)(-1) day(-1) was too low to be practical. C. f amata was also extremely sensitive to concentrations of both the keton e and the alcohol greater than 2 g/l. A more extensive screen of yeast and fungi revealed that Zygosacchmomyces rouxii was more tolerant to higher substrate concentrations and had a higher productivity number [ 0.8 g (g wet weight cells)(-1) day(-1)]. These characteristics suggest ed that Z. rouxii could be used in a large-scale process at high subst rate concentrations.