Patent ID: 8206957

Claim:
A process for preparing an optically active aldehyde and/or a corresponding alcohol of formula (2) comprising reducing α,β-unsaturated aldehyde of formula (1) in the presence of an enoate reductase (i) having the amino acid sequence SEQ ID No. 1 or 2; or (ii) having an amino acid sequence which is at least 80% identical to the sequence of SEQ ID No. 1 or 2; wherein R 1 and R 2 are, independently of one another, H or C 1 -C 4 -alkyl; and R 3 is H or C 1 -C 6 -alkyl or alkenyl, wherein said alkyl or alkenyl is branched or unbranched, wherein said α,β-unsaturated aldehyde of formula (1) is reduced to the optically active aldehyde of formula (2) and/or the corresponding alcohol of formula (2).