Bioreduction of Some Common Carbonylic Compounds Mediated by Yeasts

The asymmetric synthesis is an area extensively explored by organic chemists. It is based on the production of synthetic derivatives with a specifi c stereochemistry. The synthesis of enantiomerical-ly pure compounds has become an useful tool in the pharmaceutical and biologically active mate-rials industries. Obtainment of chiral compounds is often quite diffi cult due to the number of steps required to reach the desired molecule, and often the use of expensive chiral reagents and environ-mentally dangerous heavy metals is necessary. For these reasons, the use of unconventional tools to solve this challenge should be evaluated (Adio, 2009; Crossley, 1992). Biocatalysis, alongside chemocatalysis, has now become a key compo-nent in the toolbox of chemical processes (Astu-dillo