A water activity control system for enzymatic reactions in organic media.

A water activity control system for enzymatic synthesis in organic media, for litre-scale reactors has been constructed. Water activity, a(w), is a key factor when using enzymes in non-conventional media and the optimum value varies for different enzymes. The control system consists of a water activity sensor in the headspace of a jacketed glass reactor (equipped with narrow steel tubes to introduce air), gas-washing bottles containing blue silica gel (a(w)=0) and water (a(w)=1), a PC to monitor water activity and a programmable logic controller (PLC) to control the water activity.