Enzyme-catalyzed Synthesis of Vitamin E Succinate Using a Chemically Modified Novozym-435

Vitamin E succinate was synthesized in organic solvents using a modified Novozym-435 as catalyst. In order to improve the catalytic performance of Novozym-435, the enzyme was modified using acetic anhydride, propionic anhydride and succinic anhydride separately. We found that both the hydrolytic activity and the thermal stability of the modified Novozym-435 were enhanced compared with the unmodified enzyme. The modified Novozym-435 catalysts were used to synthesize the succinate derivative of vitamin E. Compared with the native Novozym-435, the catalytic activity of the modified novozym-435 in promoting the synthesis of vitamin E succinate was dramatically increased, with the novozym-435 modified with succinic anhydride (N435-S) as the most active catalyst. Conditions for the synthesis of vitamin E succinate were also optimized. A mixture of tert-butanol and DMSO (volume ratio of 2 : 3) was the most suitable medium for the reaction, whereas the appropriate molar ratio of vitamin E to succinic anhydride and reaction temperature were 1 : 5 and 40 (C, respectively. Under these reaction conditions, the yield of vitamin E succinate reached 94.4%. N435-S could be reused for five batches.