We describe for the first time the enzymatic acylation of the phenolic group of tocopherols (vitamin E) by transesterification with vinyl acetate in 2-methyl-2-butanol (2M2B). Out of 15 hydrolases screened, only the lipase B from Candida antarctica (Novozym 435) catalyzed the acylation. The acetylation of delta-tocopherol was faster than that of a-tocopherol, probably due to its lower methylation degree. A series of experiments using (R)-Trolox and p-cresol as competitive acceptors of tocopherols showed that reaction rate notably diminished when increasing acceptor size. To maximize the potential of this reaction, three immobilization carriers for C antarctica lipase B were studied: the ion-exchange resin Lewatit (the support in Novozym 435), a biodegradable polymer (Purasorb) and polypropylene (Accurel EP100). The acetylation of a-tocopherol was faster with the enzyme immobilized in polypropylene, which was correlated with its higher porosity. A mixture hexane/2M2B 90: 10 (v/v) was found to be the optimum medium composition, as it represents a compromise between substrates solubility and biocatalyst efficiency. The acylation process was no enantioselective, probably due to the fact that the chiral centers are separated from the phenolic group by a minimum of six bonds. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.