Lipase nanogel catalyzed synthesis of vitamin E succinate in non‐aqueous phase.

BACKGROUND: In order to improve the stability of vitamin E and broaden its scope of application, an effective solution is to convert vitamin E into its derivatives. This work developed a new Candida rugosa lipase (CRL) nanogel based on modification of ionic liquid with vinyl functional groups. This novel CRL nanogel was used in the preparation process of vitamin E succinate based on the principle of non‐aqueous enzymology. At the same time, various factors including enzyme concentration, substrate molar ratio, reaction temperature and reaction time, that affect the yield of vitamin E succinate were optimized and analyzed. RESULTS: Different solvents with various hydrophobicity parameters (LogP values) from −1.3 to 3.5 were studied, it was found that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) had the lowest LogP value among organic solvents but vitamin E succinate had the highest yield in DMSO. Furthermore, the effect of different operating conditions, such as molar ratios of substrate, enzyme concentration, reaction temperature and reaction time was studied. Under the optimal process conditions (enzyme concentration 6 mg mL−1, substrate molar ratio 4:1, reaction temperature 55 °C and reaction time 15 h), the product yield was 62.58 ± 1.16%. CRL and CRL nanogel were characterized using Fourier‐transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was shown that CRL nanogel influenced the catalytic behavior of lipase significantly by changing the structure and surface properties of CRL. CONCLUSION: Novel lipase nanogel was an excellent biocatalyst for enzymatic synthesis of vitamin E succinate. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]