Novel Enzymatic Synthesis of 3-hydroxybutyric Acid Oligomerswith Inserted Lactobionic Acid Moieties

3-Hydroxybutyric acid and lactobionic acid yielded linear and cyclic oligomers in a lipase-catalyzedcondensation polymerization reaction, performed at 80°C in bulk and organic solvent systems. Novozyme435 was the most efficient biocatalyst, and a mixture of t-butanol and dimethylsulfoxide in 80:20 (v/v) ratioprovided the highest copolymer conversions. The highest degree of polymerization reached 7 in case ofcopolymers with inserted lactobionic acid moiety and 11 for the 3-hydroxybutyric acid homopolymer by-product