SURFACE-ACTIVE SUBSTRATES ESSENTIAL IN LIPASE-MEDIATED ESTERIFICATIONS IN FOAMS

Foam offers an appropriate surface to perform lipase-mediated reaction s. Aqueous foam, a colloidal dispersion of air in water, offers a very high substrate surface to solvent volume ratio for lipases to act. Es terification, an unfavorable reaction in prater, could be efficiently done by lipase in aqueous foams made of lipase substrates. Esterificat ion of oleic acid with a homologous series of aliphatic alcohols of va rying length showed that surface excess property of both the substrate s is essential for ester formation. The direction of lipase reaction i s governed by the composition of the reactants in the interface. Simil ar reactions could be done in water with substrates adsorbed on hydrop hobic beads. Foam-based reactions offer a simple, cheaper and environm ent-friendly method to conduct lipase-mediated reactions.