The orange peel as biocatalyst for the hydrolysis of esters

• Orange peels in organic synthesis.
• Plant as an alternative catalyst use in the hydrolysis of esters.
• C. aurantium in the hydrolysis of esters as a practical route to produce chiral alcohols.

Brazil is a major producer of oranges in the world. Previous studies have indicated that the use of locally available vegetables and fruits can provide an alternative opportunity for developing countries to investigate their local resources with significant economic and ecological implications. Thus, the enzymes from orange peels, considering the time factor, low cost and ease of preparation of the reaction system, makes the use of this plant material scrap, economical alternative for some reactions of synthetic interest. Accordingly, biocatalysis using intact plant system (orange peel), is shown as a promising tool for the synthesis of important intermediates and finished pharmaceutical and other commercial products. The application of different methodologies, practical and low cost, using pieces and aqueous extracts of orange peel enabled the enantioselective hydrolysis of racemic chiral alcohols with considerable enantiomeric excess (ee) and good conversion rates. This study evaluated the potential of orange peel of EA enzymes in the hydrolysis of aromatic esters for resolution of racemates. All hydrolysis reactions led to conversion rates of 13 to 81% and ee ranging from 11–81%. These reactions were very efficient and can be considered environmentally friendly, because they use material produced on a large scale and are conducted in a simple and economical way.

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