Patent ID: 7964378

Claim:
A process for producing a peroxycarboxylic acid from a carboxylic acid ester comprising a) providing a set of reaction components, said components comprising: 1) a carboxylic acid ester selected from the group consisting of: i) esters having the structure wherein R 1 ═C1 to C7 straight chain or branched chain alkyl optionally substituted with an hydroxyl or a C1 to C4 alkoxy group and R 2 ═C1 to C10 straight chain or branched chain alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, alkylheteroaryl, heteroaryl, (CH 2 CH 2 —O) n H or (CH 2 CH(CH 3 )—O) n H and n=1 to 10; and ii) glycerides having the structure wherein R 1 ═C1 to C7 straight chain or branched chain alkyl optionally substituted with an hydroxyl or a C1 to C4 alkoxy group and R 3 and R 4 are individually H or R 1 C(O); 2) a source of peroxygen; and 3) an enzyme catalyst having perhydrolase activity, wherein said enzyme catalyst comprises a member selected from the group consisting of: (i) an enzyme having at least 95% amino acid identity to SEQ ID NO: 2; and (ii) a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to SEQ ID NO: 1 under the following conditions: 0.1×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C. and washed with 2×SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C., followed by a second wash with 0.1× SSC, 0.1% SDS at 65° C.; and b) combining said reaction components under suitable aqueous reaction conditions, wherein said conditions comprise a pH range of about 2 to about 9, whereby a peroxycarboxylic acid is produced.