Abstract: A process for the improved separation of a hydrophobic organic solution from an aqueous culture medium is provided. The process includes preparing an aqueous culture medium of a metabolically active cell having a decreased activity; contacting of the aqueous culture medium with a hydrophobic organic solution comprising a substrate for biotransformation; conducting a biotransformation of the substrate; and separating the hydrophobic organic solution comprising a biotransformed substrate from the aqueous culture medium. The decreased activity of the metabolically active cell is in comparison to a wild-type of the active cell and the decreased activity is of at least of one enzyme that catalyzes one reaction of ?-oxidation of fatty acids.

Abstract: The invention relates to detergent formulations for textiles, comprising rhamnolipids, where the content of di-rhamnolipids predominates, and to the use of certain rhamnolipid mixture compositions and of the aforementioned detergent formulations for increasing the rate of foam formation and/or for foam stabilization, and to the use of rhamnolipids for preventing the greying of a textile.

Abstract: The present invention provides microbial strains, in particular yeast strains, that produce at least 0.1 mg per g biomass dry weight of a sphingoid base. The present invention further provides a method to obtain sphingoid base-producing microbial strains comprising incubating a population of microbial cells in the presence of a suitable concentration of a toxin, selecting cells that are resistant against said toxin, and isolating cells out of the toxin-resistant cell population that produce at least 0.1 mg per g biomass dry weight of the sphingoid base of Formula I. Optionally, the method further comprises subjecting a population of toxin-resistant microbial cells that produce at least 0.1 mg per g biomass dry weight of the sphingoid base of Formula I to DNA-mediated transformation with a polynucleotide encoding an enzyme of the sphingolipid metabolic pathway. The present invention further provides a polypeptide having dihydroceramide desaturase activity obtainable form Pichia ciferrii.

Abstract: The invention provides a biocatalytic process for oxidation of organic compounds with the aid of an alkL gene product, and microorganisms used in this process.

Abstract: The invention relates to a whole-cell catalyst which expresses a recombinant ?-dioxygenase or the combination of a recombinant fatty acid reductase and a phosphopantetheinyl transferase which phosphopantetheinylates the fatty acid reductase, and which expresses, in addition to the ?-dioxygenase and/or the combination of fatty acid reductase and phosphopantetheinyl transferase, a transaminase, wherein the phosphopantetheinyl transferase and/or transaminase is preferably recombinant; and also to a process for converting a carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid or a monoester thereof to an amine or diamine, comprising the steps of contacting the carboxylic acid or dicarboxylic acid or the monoester thereof with a phosphopantetheinylated fatty acid reductase or an ?-dioxygenase and contacting the product with a transaminase.

Abstract: The invention relates to cells, nucleic acids, and enzymes, the use thereof for producing sophorolipids, and methods for producing sophorolipids.

Abstract: The invention relates to genetically engineered Candida tropicalis cells, use thereof and a method of production of ?-hydroxycarboxylic acids and ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid esters.

Abstract: This invention relates to cells and nucleic acids and also use thereof for producing rhamnolipids, and also methods for producing rhamnolipids.

Abstract: The invention relates to cells, nucleic acids, and enzymes, the use thereof for producing sophorolipids, and methods for producing sophorolipids.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method comprising the steps a) providing isobutyric acid, b) bringing isobutyric acid into contact with the combination of isobutyrate kinase and phosphotransisobutyrylase and/or isobutyryl-coenzyme A synthetase/ligase and/or isobutyrate-coenzyme A transferase, c) bringing the product from step a) into contact with isobutyryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase, d) bringing the product from step b) into contact with methacrylyl-coenzyme A hydratase, and e) hydrolyzing the product from step d) to form 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid, where at least one of the enzymes is used in the form of a cell which, compared to its wildtype, comprises a reduced activity of a 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid dehydrogenase or a variant thereof, a cell which has at least one enzyme from the group comprising isobutyryl-coenzyme A synthetase/ligase, isobutyrate-coenzyme A transferase, isobutyrate kinase, phosphotransisobutyrylase, isobutyryl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase, methacrylyl-coenzyme A hydratase and 3-hydroxyisobutyryl-coe

Abstract: The invention relates to cells, nucleic acids, and enzymes, the use thereof for producing sophorolipids, and methods for producing sophorolipids.

Abstract: The invention relates to cells, nucleic acids, and enzymes, the use thereof for producing sophorolipids, and methods for producing sophorolipids.

Abstract: The invention relates to genetically engineered Candida tropicalis cells, use thereof and a method of production of ?-hydroxycarboxylic acids and ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid esters.

Abstract: The invention relates to novel enzymes that provide acetylated sphingoid bases.

Abstract: The problem addressed by the invention is solved in a first aspect by a method for producing alanine or a compound produced using alanine, having the steps of (a) providing a cell which expresses a recombinant alanine dehydrogenase or a variant thereof, (b) cultivating the cell under aerobic conditions in the presence of an inorganic nitrogen source in an aqueous phase, and (c) bringing the cell into contact with an organic phase, said cell being a prokaryotic or a lower eukaryotic cell.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for oxidizing a fatty acid or an ester thereof of formula (I) H3C—(CH2)n-COOR, wherein R is selected from the group that comprises H, methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl, wherein n is 0 to 30, preferably 6 to 24, comprising the step of oxidizing the fatty acid or the ester thereof by contacting the fatty acid or the ester thereof with a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase of the CYP153 family in the presence of molecular oxygen and NAD(P)H and a whole-cell catalyst that expresses a recombinant cytochrome P450 monooxygenase of the CYP153 family, a recombinant alcohol dehydrogenase, a recombinant transaminase, and optionally one or more than one recombinant enzyme from the group comprising alanine dehydrogenase, ferredoxin, and ferredoxin reductase, and the use of said whole-cell catalyst to oxidize a fatty acid or an ester thereof.

Abstract: The invention relates to cells and nucleic acids and also use thereof for producing rhamnolipids, and also methods for producing rhamnolipids.

Abstract: The invention relates to genetically engineered Candida tropicalis cells, use thereof and a method of production of ?-hydroxycarboxylic acids and ?-hydroxycarboxylic acid esters.

Abstract: The invention describes a process for preparing acetone starting from acetyl-coenzyme A comprising process steps A. enzymatic conversion of acetyl-CoA into acetoacetyl-CoA B. enzymatic conversion of acetoacetyl-CoA into acetoacetate and CoA and C. decarboxylation of acetoacetate to acetone and CO2, which is characterized in that the coenzyme A is not transferred in process step B to an acceptor molecule. In addition, process step B is surprisingly catalyzed by enzymes of the classes of acyl-CoA thioesterase, acyl-CoA synthetase or acyl-CoA thiokinase. A completely novel metabolic pathway is concerned, because the enzymatic hydrolysis of acetoacetyl-CoA without simultaneous transfer of CoA to a receptor molecule has never previously been described for any microbial enzyme.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of a protein homologous to a MeaB protein for increasing the enzymatic activity of a 3-hydroxycarboxylic acid-CoA mutase, a fusion protein comprising a 3-hydroxycarboxylic acid-CoA mutase and a protein sequence homologous to a MeaB protein and an enzymatic method for producing 2-hydroxyisobutryric acid.