Biooxidation of n ‐hexanol by alcohol oxidase and catalase in biphasic and micellar systems without solvent

Alcohol oxidase from Pichia pastoris together with catalase from bovine liver was used to oxidize n ‐hexanol to hexanal. For this purpose, an aqueous buffer solution was mixed with large amounts of hexanol by simple agitation, yielding a biphasic system, or by adding the nonionic surfactant Brij 35. Initial velocities and reaction yields after 24 h were measured as a function of various parameters such as the amounts of enzymes, hexanol, or surfactant. High enzymatic activity was determined for hexanol concentrations of between 20 mass% and 80 mass% without using any additional organic solvent. The homogenization of the biphasic systems with the help of Brij 35 did not yield a significant improvement of the bioconversion, which would justify the use of surfactants. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 81: 27–32, 2003.