Biosynthesis of ethyl butyrate with immobilized Candida rugosa lipase onto modified Eupergit®C

Abstract Lipase from Candida rugosa was immobilized onto the modified Eupergit®C. The support was treated with ethylenediamine and subsequently activated with glutaraldehyde. Enzyme immobilization efficiency was 85%. The optimum pH was close to 6.5 for both the free and immobilized lipase. Immobilized lipase retained its maximum activity in a temperature range of 55 – 60°C. Subsequently, ethyl butyrate synthesis was investigated using immobilized enzyme by esterification of butyric acid with ethanol in solvent-free conditions (23% product yield) and using hexane as a solvent (65% product yield). The acid-alcohol molar ratio and different enzyme amounts were tested as efficient reaction parameters. The biocatalyst maintained 60% of its activity when reused in 8 successive batch reactions in organic solvent. Therefore, the immobilized lipase has demonstrated its potential in practical applications such as short-chain ester synthesis for the food industry. Graphical Abstract