High Yield of Wax Ester Synthesized from Cetyl Alcohol and Octanoic Acid by Lipozyme RMIM and Novozym 435

摘要

Wax esters are long-chain esters that have been widely applied in premiumlubricants, parting agents, antifoaming agents and cosmetics. In this study, the biocatalyticpreparation of a specific wax ester, cetyl octanoate, is performed in n-hexane using twocommercial immobilized lipases, i.e., Lipozyme® RMIM (Rhizomucor miehei) andNovozym® 435 (Candida antarctica). Response surface methodology (RSM) and5-level-4-factor central composite rotatable design (CCRD) are employed to evaluate theeffects of reaction time (1–5 h), reaction temperature (45–65 °C), substrate molar ratio(1–3:1), and enzyme amount (10%–50%) on the yield of cetyl octanoate. Using RSM tooptimize the reaction, the maximum yields reached 94% and 98% using Lipozyme® RMIMand Novozym® 435, respectively. The optimum conditions for synthesis of cetyl octanoateby both lipases are established and compared. Novozym® 435 proves to be a more efficientbiocatalyst than Lipozyme® RMIM.