Gas phase transesterification reactions catalyzed by lipolytic enzymes.

Porcine pancreatic lipase and Fusarium solani cutinase were used to catalyze transesterification reactions between methyl propionate, ethyl propionate, and a series of primary alcohols at high temperatures in a continuous packed-bed gas-solid reactor, in which the solid phase is composed of the enzyme and the substrates and products are in a gaseous form. In this type of system, enzyme activity was found to depend essentially on the water activity (A(w)) of the enzyme preparation.