Chatchadaporn PinthongPattamaporn PhoopraintraRattikan ChantiwasThunyarat PongtharangkulPirom ChenprakhonPimchai ChaiyenMahidol UniversityVidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology2018-12-212019-03-142018-12-212019-03-142017-12-01Process Biochemistry. Vol.63, (2017), 122-129135951132-s2.0-85029173905https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/41654© 2017 Elsevier Ltd Palm oil mill effluent (POME) is a major waste product of the palm oil industry. This work describes the development and utilization of an effective protocol to analyze and extract phenolic acids from POME. p-Coumaric acid (CMA) and caffeic acid (CFA) were identified as major constituents. We therefore developed a protocol to synthesize 3,4,5-trihydroxycinnamic acid (3,4,5-THCA), a strong antioxidant with potential use as a medicinal agent, based on the biocatalytic reaction of p-hydroxyphenylacetate hydroxylase (HPAH) with CMA as a substrate. The reaction showed greater efficiency than previous protocols in terms of cost (1/10 reduction), scale (40–50 fold increase) and production time (1/3 reduction). The protocol could be used successfully in the bioconversion of CMA and CFA extracted from POME to generate 3,4,5-THCA. This is the first report to demonstrate the production of 3,4,5-THCA from a renewable and sustainable biomass feedstock using a method that abides by all of the principles of green chemistry, paving the road for future development so that palm oil industries and farmers can receive high economic benefit.Mahidol UniversityBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyChemical EngineeringImmunology and MicrobiologyArticleSCOPUS10.1016/j.procbio.2017.08.006