Method

A method of producing a carbohydrate ester comprising:

• admixing an acyl donor, an acyl acceptor and water to form an admixture wherein the acyl donor and acyl acceptor are in an environment comprising 5-98% water, and
• contacting the admixture with a lipid acyltransferase, wherein:
• the acyl donor is a lipid substrate selected from one or more of the group consisting of a phospholipid, a lysophospholipid, a triacylglyceride, a diglyceride, a glycolipid or a lysoglycolipid;
• the acyl acceptor is a carbohydrate;
• the lipid acyltransferase possesses acyl transferase activity wherein the lipid acyltransferase is capable of transferring an acyl group from a lipid substrate to a carbohydrate and catalyses one or both of the following reactions:
• alcoholysis or transesterification;
• and
• the lipid acyltransferase has an amino acid sequence containing a GDSX motif, wherein X is one or more of the following amino acid residues L, A, V, I, F, Y, H, Q, T, N, M or S , and the lipid acyltransferase amino acid sequence is expressed by a nucleic acid molecule having at least 90% sequence identity with SEQ ID NO:8.