The enantioselectivity of Candida rugosa lipase is influenced by the particle size of the immobilising support material Accurel

When Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) was immobilised on the porous polypropylene carrier Accurel it was found that differences in the samples of the carrier influenced the enantiomeric ratio (E) when racemic 2-methylhexanoic acid was esterified with 1-decanol in organic solvent at a constant water activity (aw) of 0.76. CRL immobilised on Accurel with smaller particles and smaller pore diameters gave higher enantiomeric ratio in the esterification. The reaction rate was influenced by the different Accurel materials and also by the amount of CRL exposed to the carrier. Characterisation of the different Accurel grades, with and without adsorbed CRL, was performed by light scattering analysis, SEM and FT-IR.