Preparative-scale Fermentation of papaveraldine (1), the known benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, with Mucor ramannianus 1839 (sih) has resulted in a stereoselective reduction of the ketone group and the isolation of S-papaverinol (2) and S-papaverinol N-oxide (3). The structure elucidation of both metabolites was based primarily on 1D-, 2D-NMR analyses and chemical transformations. The absolute configuration of 2 was determined using Horeau's method of asymmetric esterification. These metabolism results were consistent with the previous plant cell transformation studies on papaverine and isopapaverine. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.