| 摘要 |
Hydroxylated steroids are produced by a microbioligol hydroxylation comprising treating a steroid reactant to produce substantially smooth-surfaced particles, wetting said particles with an aqueous medium containing a wetting agent, contacting said particles with an oxidising microbiological culture, incubating said culture containing the steroid and recovering the hydroxylated steroid. The substantially smooth-surfaced particles may be produced by exposing raw progesterone particles to a violent turbulence created by supersonic velocity air streams, e.g. as that provided by various fluid energy type milling equipment. The mixture of wetted steroid particles and microbial culture may be diluted with a substantial proportion of sterile distilled water, e.g. in an amount at least of equal volume to the volume of wetted steroid and microbial culture. The concentration of the steroid particles in the aqueous medium may be in the range of 20 to 50 grams of steroid per litre of medium. A suitable steroid for use in the above process is progesterone. The microorganism used may be Aspergillus ochracews which converts progesterone to 11a -hydroxy-progesterone.
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