Food Technology and Biotechnology (Jan 2011)
Response Surface Methodology Approach for the Synthesis of Ethyl Butyrate
Abstract
Response surface methodology was used to determine optimum conditions for the esterification of ethanol and butyric acid to produce a flavour ester using immobilized lipase. Various reaction parameters including butyric acid concentration, enzyme concentration, temperature and ethanol/butyric acid molar ratio affecting ethyl butyrate production were investigated using a fractional factorial design 24–1. Based on the results from the first factorial design, all of the variables which were significant in the process were selected to be used in a 24 central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The optimum conditions for the enzymatic reaction were obtained at a 90 mM butyric acid concentration using a 7.7 g/L enzyme concentration at 45 °C and the ethanol/butyric acid molar ratio of 1:1 for 3 h. The esterification percentage, under these conditions, was 87 %.