Mitsui Petrochemical Industries, Ltd.

Mikio Hayashida

Hideaki Yamada

Aiichiro Ori

Shoichi Kise

Junzou Hiratsuka

A process for preparing (+)-homopilopic acid and the salts thereof which comprises hydrolyzing a mixture of (+)-homopilopic acid ester of the general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 denotes straight or branched C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 hydrocarbon, and (-)-homopilopic acid ester of the general formula (II): ##STR2## wherein R.sub.2 denotes straight or branched C.sub.1 -C.sub.10 hydrocarbon, in the presence of a microorganism belonging to the genus Arthrobacter, Aspergillus, Escherichia, Cunninghamella, Xanthomonas, Candida, Pseudomonas, Serratia, Cellulomonas, Nocardia, Bacillus, Brevibacterium, Flavobacterium, Mycobacterium, Rhizomucor, Rhodotorula or Rhodococcus, or a treated matter thereof.

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Yamaguchi, Japan

Mikio Hayashida