Conversion of oleic acid to 10-hydroxystearic acid by whole cells of Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens.

The optimal reaction conditions for the conversion of oleic acid to 10-hydroxystearic acid by whole cells of Stenotrophomonas nitritireducens were: pH 7.5, 35 °C, 0.05% (w/v) Tween 80, 20 g cells l(-1), and 30 g oleic acid l(-1) in an anaerobic atmosphere. Under these conditions, the cells produced 31.5 g 10-hydroxystearic acid l(-1) over 4 h with a conversion yield of 100% (mol/mol) and a productivity of 7.9 g l(-1) h(-1), indicating that oleic acid was converted completely to 10-hydroxystearic acid, with no detectable byproduct. This is the highest concentration, productivity, and yield of 10-hydroxystearic acid from oleic acid reported thus far.