One-pot process for the biotransformation of vegetable oils into natural deca- and dodecalactones

Deca- and dodecalactones are highly desired natural compounds that are essential for creating flavor formulations with fruity, peachy, creamy, and floral notes. Although natural ingredients are preferred by consumers, these lactones cannot be extracted from natural sources. Therefore, the biotechnological processes that produce these compounds in their natural form are crucial for the flavor industry. Here, we report a study on the biotransformation of vegetable oils into natural deca- and dodecalactones. The proposed process is performed one-pot, through the sequential use of three different biotransformation steps, namely the lipase-mediated hydrolysis of the triglycerides, the use of probiotic bacteria for the hydration of the unsaturated fatty acids and the transformation of the obtained hydroxy-fatty acids into lactones derivatives employing Yarrowia lipolytica. By using a specific vegetable oil in combination with a selected bacterial strain, it is possible to obtain a preferred lactone derivative such as γ-dodecalactone, dairy lactone, tuberose lactone, or δ-decalactone in a concentration ranging from 0.9 to 1.5 g/L. Overall, our method is suitable for the industrial production of these lactones as it is easily scalable, it can be performed in only one bioreactor and it makes use of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) microorganisms.