Microbial production of hydroxylated biphenyl compounds

A microbiological transformation process for preparing a hydroxylated compound of the formula:

• ##STR3## by contacting a compound of the formula:
• ##STR4## with a microorganism selected from the genus Absidia, for a period of time sufficient to produce any amount of said hydroxylated compound, wherein
• m, n and o are individually 0 or 1, with the proviso that both m, n and o are individually 0 or 1, with the proviso that both n and o cannot be 0;
• X is one or more divalent phenyl, oxygen, sulfur, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, carbonyl, amino or alkylamino;
• or X is a divalent alkylene, alkenylene, alkynylene, cycloalkylene or cycloalkenylene chain which may optionally include one or more divalent oxygen, sulfur, sulfinyl, sulfonyl, carbonyl, amino or alkylamino moieties in any combination.