Production of saturated acyl L-ascorbate by immobilized lipase using a continuous stirred tank reactor.

6-O-decanoyl, 6-O-dodecanoyl, or 6-O-tetradecanoyl L-ascorbate was continuously produced at 50 degrees C using a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with an immobilized lipase, Chirazyme L-2 C2, from Candida antarctica. Acetone was used as the reaction medium. For each saturated acyl L-ascorbate, the productivity of ca. 60 g/L reactor/day was achieved for at least 11 days. The solubility of the saturated acyl L-ascorbate in the soybean oil or water was measured at various temperatures. The solubilities in both the soybean oil and the water were higher for L-ascorbate with a shorter acyl chain. The acyl chain dependence of the solubility in water was stronger than that of the solubility in soybean oil. The temperature dependences of the solubility in both soybean oil and water could be expressed by the van't Hoff equation, and the dissolution enthalpy (DeltaH) values for the soybean oil and water were about 20 and 90 kJ/mol, respectively, irrespective of the acyl chain length. The radical scavenging activities of L-ascorbic acid and the saturated acyl L-ascorbates against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical were ca. 95% for all of the compounds, and the introduction of a saturated acyl group to the L-ascorbic acid did not affect the activity.