Biocatalytic synthesis of vitamin A palmitate using immobilized lipase produced by recombinant Pichia pastoris

In this work, the Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB), produced by recombinant Pichia pastoris, was immobilized and used to synthesize vitamin A palmitate by transesterification of vitamin A acetate and palmitic acid in organic solvent. The reaction conditions including the type of solvent, temperature, rotation speed, particle size, and molar ratio between the two substrates were investigated. It turned out that the macroporous resin HPD826 serving as a carrier showed the highest activity (ca. 9200 U g^-1) among all the screened carriers. It was found that the transesterification kinetic of the immobilized CALB followed the ping pong Bi-Bi mechanism and the reaction product acetic acid inhibited the enzymatic reaction with an inhibition factor of 2.823 mmol L^-1. The conversion ability of the immobilized CALB was 54.3% after 15 cycles. In conclusion, the present work provides a green route for vitamin A palmitate production using immobilized CALB to catalyze the transesterification of vitamin A acetate and palmitic acid.