Industrial Biotransformations

d-Lactate dehydrogenase
Leuconostoc mesenteroides
4) Process parameters
conversion: ≥ 90 %
yield: ≤ 88 %
ee: > 99.9 %
reactor type: CSTR (continuously operated enzyme membrane reactor)
reactor volume: 2.2 L
capacity: multikilogram scale
residence time: 3 h
space-time-yield: 560 g · L –1 ·d –1
down stream processing: aqueous effluent solution was adjusted to pH 3.0 with 2 N HCl and
extracted with MTBE, followed by evaporation of the organic layer
enzyme activity: d-LDH: 400 U · mL –1 ; FDH: 20 U · mL –1
enzyme consumption: 1 % d –1 loss of enzyme activity
start-up date: 2001
production site: Pfizer Inc., USA
company: Pfizer Inc., USA
5) Product application
● (R)-3-(4-Fluorophenyl)-2-hydroxy propionic acid is a building block for the synthesis of Rupintrivir,
a rhinovirus protease inhibitor.
6) Literature
EC 1.1.1.28
● Tao, J.H., McGee, K. (2002) Development of a continuous enzymatic process for the preparation
of (R)-3-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-hydroxy propionic acid, Org. Proc. Res. Dev., 6, 520–524
● Tao, J.H., McGee, K (2004) Development of an efficient synthesis of chiral 2-hydroxy acids, in:
Asymmetric Catalysis on Industrial Scale (Blaser, H.U., Schmidt, E., eds.), pp. 323–334, Wiley-
VCH, Weinheim
181