Chemical engineering processes and apparatus for the synthesis of compounds

A system for producing cannabinoid products, comprising:

• a fermentor holding a cell culture medium comprising genetically engineered yeast or bacterial cells producing and secreting a cannabinoid synthase which is tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) or cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) synthase into the medium;
• a bioreactor containing a reaction mixture configured to interact the cannabinoid synthases with a compound of formula I to form one or more cannabinoid products which are synthesized by said synthases
• wherein said formula I has the following chemical structure:
• wherein
• R is —OH:
• R1 is —H or —COOH;
• R2 is a C1-C10 linear or branched alkyl wherein said C1-C10 linear alkyl is selected from the group consisting of CH3, C2H5, C3H7, C4H9, C6H13, C7H15, C8H17, iso-propyl, sec-butyl, iso-butyl, neopentyl, 2-methyl hexyl, and 2,3-dimethyl hexyl;
• R3 is H;
• and
• a control mechanism configured to regulate a property of the medium containing the cannabinoid synthase or to control a property of the reaction mixture to modify the amount of the one or more cannabinoid products;
• wherein the property of the reaction mixture is one or more of the ionic strength of the reaction, the pH of the reaction, the temperature of the reaction, or the pressure of the reaction, wherein the pH of said reaction mixture is from 4 to less than 8.