Sucrose esters (SEs), commonly referred to as fatty acid sucrose esters, are amphiphilic compounds synthesized via the esterification of sucrose hydroxyl groups with fatty acid chains. Their molecular architecture, featuring hydrophilic sucrose moieties and hydrophobic fatty acid chains, confers exceptional surfactant properties [1]. As non-toxic, biodegradable, and green nonionic surfactants, SEs have been extensively adopted across the food, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries [2]. Reflecting their growing utility, the global SE market is projected to expand significantly from USD 76 million in 2019 to USD 106 million by 2025 [3].

Despite these promising market prospects, the industrial production of SEs remains predominantly dependent on chemical synthesis. This conventional method operates under harsh conditions, including high temperature and pressure, and employs metal catalysts and toxic acylating agents [4]. Such processes are fraught with inherent limitations, such as undesired by-product formation, low monoester selectivity, and costly purification steps. In response to these challenges, enzymatic synthesis has emerged as a sustainable alternative, characterized by mild reaction conditions, high regioselectivity, and superior environmental compatibility, attributes that align closely with green chemistry principles.

The advantages of the enzymatic route are twofold, contributing simultaneously to reduced carbon footprint and improved waste management. Firstly, it obviates the need for energy-intensive high-temperature and high-pressure systems, enabling efficient catalysis under ambient conditions. Secondly, enzymatic processes not only diminish or eliminate the reliance on heavy metal catalysts and organic solvents but also enhance substrate conversion efficiency, thereby minimizing raw material waste. Collectively, these benefits position enzymatic synthesis as a viable pathway that addresses both ecological imperatives and the economic demands of industrial scalability. However, the widespread adoption of enzymatic synthesis faces three fundamental constraints. First, the narrow diversity of available enzyme resources limits process versatility. Second, the inherent low catalytic activity and thermostability of many pertinent enzymes result in suboptimal reaction efficiency. Finally, the prohibitively high cost of enzyme production presents a major barrier to industrial scalability.

To identify potential solutions to the bottlenecks, a systematic evaluation of literatures particularly reviews from the last ten years (2015–2025) was performed (Table S1) [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15]. While the literatures provide a broad overview of the fundamental properties and applications of sugar esters and SEs, a critical gap remains in the systematic consolidation of enzymatic synthesis mechanisms. For instance, reviews such as [5], [6], [7], [8] explore various synthesis methods, including chemoenzymatic and lipase-catalyzed routes in pressurized or green media, yet they do not cohesively address the mechanistic underpinnings of enzymatic catalysis. Similarly, reviews focusing on biological activities [9], [10], [11], analytical methodologies [12], colloidal behavior [13], biosynthetic pathways [14], and structural characteristics of natural SEs [15] contribute valuable insights into specific facets of SEs—from antimicrobial mechanisms to metabolic regulation—but consistently overlook the systematic integration of enzymatic synthesis strategies (Table S1). Notably absent is a thorough discussion on the mining of novel enzyme resources, elucidation of catalytic mechanisms, and strategies for enhancing enzymatic stability, each of which is essential for advancing the industrial feasibility of enzymatic SE production. Therefore, a focused and systematic review that bridges these aspects is not only necessary but also urgently needed to propel the field toward sustainable and efficient biocatalytic manufacturing.

This review therefore aims to bridge these critical gaps, with special emphasis on enzymatic synthesis mechanisms and enzyme resource development. The organization of this review is as follows: Section 2 outlines the properties and applications of different SE types. Building on this foundation, Section 3 delves into the mechanisms of enzymatic synthesis and introduces a phylogeny-informed high-throughput screening strategy for discovering protentional SE-synthesizing enzyme candidates. Section 4 presents a systematic classification and structure–sequence alignment of these enzymes, elucidating their molecular characteristics. Finally, Section 5 consolidates strategies for enhancing enzyme activity and thermal stability, offering practical guidance for enzyme engineering and industrial implementation.

By integrating these dimensions systematically, this review represents a meaningful advance beyond existing studies. It not only refines the classification and structure–application relationships of SEs but also provides an in-depth discussion of enzymatic synthesis mechanisms. Notably, it introduces previously overlooked enzyme mining methodologies that leverage sequence and structural alignment combined with molecular docking. The proposed high-throughput screening strategy substantially enlarges the potential enzyme resource library. Ultimately, by systematically summarizing approaches to improve enzyme activity and stability, this work provides a comprehensive technical roadmap to guide future research in the field.