Effect of water activity and immobilization on fatty acid selectivity for esterification reactions mediated by lipases

The effect of water activity (aw) and immobilization on fatty acid (FA) selectivity of Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) cepacia, Rhizomucor miehei, Candida antarctica (type B), and Candida rugosa lipases in esterification reactions was determined. Studies were based on measuring ester formation in multicompetitive reaction mixtures containing either the homologous series of even carbon number n‐chain saturated FA (C4‐C18) or a series of n‐chain (un)saturated FA (C18:X, where X = 0–3 double bonds) as cosubstrates with 1,3‐propanediol in ter‐butyl methyl ether at aw of 0.19, 0.69, and 0.90. Activity and FA selectively patterns were similar for free and Celite‐adsorbed lipases in response to changes in aw, although specific effects were observed for selectivity of B. cepacia and C. rugosa lipases toward C16 and C4/C6 FA, respectively. Also, selectivity toward unsaturated C18:X FA as a group was modulated by changes in aw for three of the four lipase studied. Resin‐fixed lipases from R. miehei and C. antarctica exhibited profound differences in activity and FA selectively in response to changes in aw, relative to free and Celite‐bound forms. These findings suggest that FA selectivity for lipid modification is influenced by aw and immobilization, but that each lipase has a characteristic response to these factors in a manner that cannot be predicted. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 75: 219–227, 2001.