Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch
D-pantolactone hydrolase and process for the preparation thereof
 The invention is drawn to a new enzyme that selectively hydrolyzes D-pantolactone in D,L-pantolactone and has the following characteristics: (a) action: acts on pantolactone to produce the corresponding acid; (b) specificity for substrate: acts specifically on D-pantolactone but not on L-pantolactone; (c) pH stability: stable at pH5-9; (d) optimal pH: 7.0-7.5; (e) optimal temperature: ca. 50.degree. C.; and (f) effect of various metal ions or inhibitors: inhibited by Cd.sup.2+, Hg.sup.2+ or Cu.sup.2+ EDTA, as well as a process for the preparation thereof. The enzyme is preferably produced by cultivating the microorganisms of the genera Fusarium, Cylindrocarpon, and Gibberella, and most preferably the microorganism Fusarium oxysporum IFO 5942. 
Fuji Yakuhin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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C12P C12P C12N C12P
inventional inventional inventional inventional
Sakayu Keiji Hideaki
Shimizu Sakamoto Yamada