Development of mesoporous biocatalysts synthesized from a biomass surfactant for flavorings production

Abstract

Obtaining flavorings industrially requires extreme conditions such as high temperatures and pressures, operation of toxic solvents, and use of acids as catalysts. Given these limitations, more eco-friendly alternatives like enzymatic catalysts are being investigated. However, the enzymes stability in organic reagents and reuse are the main drawbacks; therefore, the use of immobilization techniques on novel inorganic supports would allow combining the enzymatic selectivity and the properties of these matrices to increase their catalytic performance. In the present work, the transesterification reaction of vinyl acetate with isoamyl alcohol to produce isoamyl acetate was conducted at 40 °C and atmospheric pressure using a mesoporous biocatalyst synthesized from a biomass-derived molding agent. The synthesized materials were characterized by N₂ adsorption and desorption isotherm, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). For the biocatalyst synthesis, the enzyme-support contact times and the enzyme loading were evaluated. The best catalytic performance was obtained with a material prepared with 96 h of immobilization and with a theoretical loading of 400 mg_lipase/gsupport. High vinyl acetate conversion (86 %) and isoamyl acetate yields (62 %) were achieved at 40 °C after 20 h of reaction. The results suggest that the lipases immobilization on renewable mesoporous silica offers a promising alternative route for the sustainable fragrances production under mild operating conditions.