Non-thermal effects of microwaves on protease-catalyzed esterification and transesterification

The non-thermal effects of microwave irradiation on enzyme-catalyzed reactions have been evaluated by keeping the reaction temperature constant during irradiation. Subtilisin-catalyzed transesterification and α-chymotrypsin-catalyzed esterification have been carried out in six solvents of differing polarities and at three different temperatures. In all cases, microwave irradiation was found to increase the initial reaction rates by 2.1–4.7 times at all hydration levels. It is also shown that microwave irradiation can be used in conjunction with other strategies (like pH tuning and salt activation) for enhancing initial reaction rates.