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The microorganisms Pichia pastoris , Pichia membranaefaciens , Candida boidinii and Aureobasidium sp. were screened for their ability to use amine as a nitrogen source. The range of amines accepted varied from organism to organism. P. pastoris used α-unsubstituted amines, while the other three strains used transformed α-substituted amines like cyclohexyl, 2-butyl and 1-phenylethyl amines. Biotransformation occurred via an oxidative pathway leading mainly to the production of the corresponding ketones. Investigation of the kinetic resolution of racemic 1-phenylethyl amine showed that the optically pure ( S ) enantiomer was obtained with Aureobasidium sp. experiments, and that with P. membranaefaciens or C. boidinii , the ( R ) enantiomer could also be produced, but with lower stereoselectivity (52%