Optimization of the Production of 1-Phenylethanol Using Enzymes from Flowers of Tea (Camellia sinensis) Plants

1-Phenylethanol (1PE) can be used as a fragrance in food flavoring and cosmetic industries and as an intermediate in the pharmaceutical industry. 1PE can be synthesized from acetophenone, and the cost of 1PE is higher than the cost of acetophenone. Therefore, it is important to establish an effective and low-cost approach for producing 1PE. Our previous studies found that tea (Camellia sinensis) flowers, which are an abundant and waste resource, contained enzymes that could transform acetophenone to 1PE. In the present study, we extracted crude enzymes from tea flowers and optimized the production conditions of 1PE using response surface methodology. The optimized conditions were an extraction pH of 7.0, a reaction pH of 5.3, a reaction temperature of 55 °C, a reaction time of 100 min, a coenzyme NADPH concentration of 3.75 μmol/mL in the reaction assay, and a substrate acetophenone concentration of 1.25 μmol/mL in the reaction assay. The results provide essential information for future industrial 1PE production using plant-derived enzymes.