Application of Lipase Purified from Aspergillus fumigatus in the Syntheses of Ethyl Acetate and Ethyl Lactate

Abstract

Microbial lipases are used for the synthesis of various short chain esters such as octyl acetate, methyl salicylate, ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate. In this study, a purified lipase of Aspergillus fumigatus was utilized for the synthesis of two esters i.e. ethyl acetate and ethyl lactate. The purified lipase from Aspergillus fumigatus performed esterification of ethanol and acetic acid (at a molar ratio of 1:1) when incubated at 40℃ under shaking (130 min⁻¹) for 12 h resulting in the formation of ethyl acetate (89%). In case of ethyl lactate maximum esterification (87.32%) was achieved when ethanol and lactic acid (500:100 mM ) was used in heptane resulting in the synthesis of ethyl lactate at 40°C under shaking (120 rpm) after 12 h of reaction time. These esters of short chain carboxylic acid and alcohols belong to the highly important natural aroma compounds and are used as green solvents in food and pharmaceutical industry.