Patent ID: 8597915

Claim:
An enzymatically catalyzed method for the production of an aldehyde compound of the general formula (I) wherein R 1 and R 2 represent together a group of the formula —O—R 4 —O—, wherein R 4 represents an optionally substituted alkylen or alkenylen group; and R 3 represents alkyl or alkoxy; which method comprises: a) enzymatically reducing a compound of formula II wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as defined above, in an aqueous reaction medium comprising in a proportion of 5 to 40 vol.-% as a co-solvent at least one non-symmetric ether compound of the formula III R 5 —O—R 6 (III) wherein one of the residues R 5 and R 6 is a branched C 3 -C 8 alkyl group, and the other is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl group and also containing at least one reductase enzyme and at least one cofactor; wherein said reductase is an Old Yellow Enzyme 1 (OYE1) comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or a sequence having at least 95% sequence identity with said SEQ ID NO: 1 and being capable of hydrogenating a compound of formula II at position C2/C3; and b) optionally isolating said compound of formula I in the form of a substantially pure stereoisomer or as a mixture of stereoisomers.