Water activity does not influence the enantioselectivity of Lipase PS and lipoprotein lipase in organic solvents

The activity and enantioselectivity of Lipase PS from Pseudomonas cepacia and lipoprotein lipase from Pseudomonas sp. were investigated in organic solvents preequilibrated to water activities ranging from <0.1 to 0.53, using as a model reaction the transesterification between (±)-sulcatol and vinyl acetate. Variations of water activity markedly influenced the transesterification rate but did not modify the enantioselectivity of the two enzymes.