RESEARCH ARTICLE

Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 20 June 2008, p. 461-469

ENZYMATIC SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PALM-BASED KOJIC ACID ESTER

NOOR HAYATI Khamaruddin * ; MAHIRAN Basri * ; GWENDOLINE EE Cheng Lian * ; ABU BAKAR Salleh ** ; RAJA NOR ZALIHA Raja A Rahman ** ; ARBAKARYA Ariff ** ; ROSFARIZAN Mohamad ** ; ROILA Awang +

ABSTRACT

Kojic acid ester wan synthesized from acyl donor (fatty acid/palm oil) and kojic acid by esterification using lipase as a biocatalyst in an organic medium. Analysis of the product using GC and FTIR showed the presence of kojic acid ester. The gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis and 1H-NMR and 13C-MNR spectral data confirmed the molecular structure of the kojic acid ester.Among the enzymes tested, lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia gave the highest synthetic specific activity. Oleic acid found to be the best substrate with which to produce the ester in acetonitrile. The optimum conditions for the synthesis of kojic acid derivatives using Pseudomonas cepacia lipase were time, 24 hr, temperature, 50°C, amount of enzyme, 0.15 g, solvent of log P =-0.33, mole ration of 4 (kojic acid/oleic acid), with no added water, no control of water activity and oleic acid as substrate.

KEYWORDS:


* Faculty of Science,
Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang,
Selangor, Malaysia.
E-mail: mahiran@science.upm.edu.my

** Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences,
Universiti Putra Malaysia,
43400 UPM Serdang,
Selangor, Malaysia.

+ Malaysian Palm Oil Board,
P. O. Box 10620,
50720 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.