The present invention provides a method of producing 13-hydroxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid, productivity of which has been enhanced. Specifically, the present invention provides a method of producing 13-hydroxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid, by producing 13-hydroxy-9(Z)-octadecenoic acid from linoleic acid in the presence of a transformed microorganism that produces a protein such as the following: (A) a protein having an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 5, 8 to 10, 13, or 14; (B) a protein having an amino acid sequence containing one or several amino acid substitutions, deletions, insertions or additions in the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 5, 8 to 10, 13, or 14, and having a linoleate 13-hydratase activity; and (C) a protein having an amino acid sequence having 90% or more identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 5, 8 to 10, 13 or 14, and having a linoleate 13-hydratase activity.

A variety of methods and systems for screening biocatalysts are disclosed, including, in one embodiment, a screening method for identifying engineered biocatalysts, including reacting an olefin with water in the presence of an engineered biocatalyst to produce at least a fatty alcohol having from 4 carbons to 24 carbons; reacting at least a portion of the fatty alcohol with oxygen in the present of a fatty alcohol oxidase to produce a fatty aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide, the fatty aldehyde having from 4 carbons to 24 carbons; and measuring activity of the engineered biocatalyst.

It has been found that esterification of a hydroxy-fatty acid by a lipase can be coupled with oleate hydratase (OHase) generation of that hydroxy-FA from an unsaturated FA with a cis C9-C10 double bond, e.g. oleic acid, in a single aqueous buffered reaction medium at low temperature, e.g. 30° C. A simple one-pot enzymatic method to produce fatty acid estolides from one or more triglycerides, e.g. starting from a natural plant oil, is thereby enabled in which the same lipase catalyses both the initial hydrolysis of triglyceride and the final esterification step.

A process for preparing sebacic acid by reacting in a first step (i) linoleic acid with water catalyzed by an oleate hydratase to form 10-hydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid, in a second step (ii) pyrolysing the 10-hydroxy-12-octadecenoic acid to 1-octene and 10-oxo-decanoic acid and in a third step (iii) oxidizing the 10-oxo-decanoic acid to sebacic acid.

A detergent composition including an oleic acid-transforming enzyme and a surfactant system. Furthermore, a method of manually washing articles including the steps of: delivering a composition including an oleic acid-transforming enzyme and a surfactant system to a volume of water to form a wash liquor and immersing the soiled articles, in the liquor.

Use of a detergent composition comprising a fatty acid-transforming enzyme to impart suds longevity in a washing process. A method for promoting suds longevity in a washing process for washing soiled articles, comprising the step of: delivering a composition comprising a fatty acid-transforming enzyme to a volume of water to form a wash liquor and immersing the soiled article in the liquor.

A method for producing a hydroxy fatty acid condensate or a mixture of hydroxy fatty acid condensates is provided. The method involves the steps of providing one or more fatty acids having at least one C═C double bond functionality, biotechnologically adding H.sub.2O to at least one C═C double bond functionality of the one or more fatty acids and thus obtaining one or more hydroxy fatty acids, and reacting the one or more hydroxy fatty acids with one or more at least divalent linker groups, thus obtaining a hydroxy fatty acid condensate or a mixture of hydroxy fatty acid condensates. Also provided are a hydroxy fatty acid condensate or a mixture of hydroxy fatty acid condensates obtained by the method, as well as polyurethane, obtained by reacting such a hydroxy fatty acid condensate or mixture of hydroxy fatty acid condensates.

The present invention relates to a method of producing a 10-hydroxy fatty acid, wherein the method comprises contacting a sample comprising a (9Z) or (9E)-fatty acid with a polypeptide having the activity of an oleate hydratase (EC 4.2.1.53) encoded by a nucleic acid molecule, wherein the nucleic acid molecule is (a) a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide comprising or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or 7; (b) a nucleic acid molecule comprising or consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or 8; (c) a nucleic acid molecule comprising or consisting of a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide having the activity of an oleate hydratase the amino acid sequence of which is at least 91% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or 7; (d) a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide having the activity of an oleate hydratase and comprising or consisting of a nucleotide sequence which is at least 91% identical to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 or 8; (e) a fragment of the nucleic acid molecule of any of (a) to (d) comprising at least 1341 nucleotides and encoding a polypeptide having the activity of an oleate hydratase; or (f) the nucleic acid sequence of any of (a) to (d) wherein T is U.

It has been found that esterification of a hydroxy-fatty acid by a lipase can be coupled with oleate hydratase (OHase) generation of that hydroxy-FA from an unsaturated FA with a cis C9-C10 double bond, e.g. oleic acid, in a single aqueous buffered reaction medium at low temperature, e.g. 30° C. A simple one-pot enzymatic method to produce fatty acid estolides from one or more triglycerides, e.g. starting from a natural plant oil, is thereby enabled in which the same lipase catalyses both the initial hydrolysis of triglyceride and the final esterification step.

It has been found that esterification of a hydroxy-fatty acid by a lipase can be coupled with oleate hydratase (OHase) generation of that hydroxy-FA from an unsaturated FA with a cis C9-C10 double bond, e.g. oleic acid, in a single aqueous buffered reaction medium at low temperature, e.g. 30° C. A simple one-pot enzymatic method to produce fatty acid estolides from one or more triglycerides, e.g. starting from a natural plant oil, is thereby enabled in which the same lipase catalyses both the initial hydrolysis of triglyceride and the final esterification step.