Enzymatic Synthesis and Study of Novel Ester of Ferulic Acid as a Novel Anti-Carcinogenesis Agent with Free Radical Scavenging Properties

A facile enzymatic synthesis approach to prepare novel ester of ferulic acid through the lipase-catalyzed transesterification reaction of ethyl ferulate (EF) with tributyrin (TB) was investigated. The ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and EI-MS analysis confirmed the formation of the end product, namely 1(3)-feruloyl-dibutyryl-glycerol (FDB). The influences of different enzyme source, enzyme loading, and water activity on the conversion yield were analyzed systematically. Under the optimal conditions, the total conversion of FDB achieved was 83.6%. There was no evident loss in lipase activity and stability after being repeatedly used for 14 runs. The study of radical scavenging activity of feruloylated structured lipids, with over 90% of radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl (DPPH-) scavenging, was found to be higher than ferulic acid.