Cargill Inc.

Aeci Limited

Csir, Bio/chemtek

Lucia H Steenkamp

Dean Brady

Neil Stockenstrom Gardiner

Subash Buddoo

Amanda Louise Rousseau

Christopher John Parkinson

Stephanus Francois Marais

Paul A Steenkamp

Etienne Van Eeden Skein

Vuyisile N Phehane

Deborah Nicole Davidson

Dana Helen Braithwaite

Owen Lungile Njamela

Steven James Heggie

Robin K Mitra

Thebeeapelo John Khaile

Christa Maria Jungmann

The invention provides a process for hydrolytically converting aloeresin A to aloesin by the following reaction: The amount of aloesin available for extraction from sap of aloe plants is thereby increased and the extraction and purification of the aloesin is also made easier and less costly. As aloesin is more commercially valuable than aloeresin A, the process also increases the commercial value of the sap or aloe bitters from the aloe plant. The process optionally also includes the step of separating the aloesin from the p-coumaric acid. Typical hydrolysis steps that are used in the process are acid hydrolysis, base hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis. In the case of acid hydrolysis, the acid is any suitable organic or inorganic acid, such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid or phosphoric acid. In the case of enzymatic hydrolysis, the hydrolytic enzyme is typically an esterase, a lipase or a protease.

Method for converting aloeresin A to aloesin

Methods for preferentially hydrolyzing one stereoisomer of an isoxazoline diester over another, as well as an enzyme for facilitating the preferential hydrolysis are provided. Also provided are methods for providing mixtures of (RR) and (RS) monatin as well as (SS) and (SR) monatin, which methods can include the step of stereoselectively hydrolyzing an isoxazoline diester.

Production of monatin enantiomers

A process for the production of disubstituted propionic acid derivatives which are intermediates in the synthesis of .alpha.-arylpropionic acids such as naproxen, involves the reaction of a naphthalene derivative such as 2-methoxynaphthalene, with an alkylating agent such as an alkyl pyruvate in the presence of a catalyst, and then dehydrating and hydrogenolising, or directly hydrogenolising, or derivatising and then hydrogenolising the product thereof, to produce the desired compound.

Synthesis and resolution of propionic acid derivatives

Growing community of inventors

Boksburg, South Africa

Lucia H Steenkamp