Deracemisation of racemic alkyl 3-(hetero-2-yl)-3-hydroxypropanoates using whole cells of Candida parapsilosis ATCC 7330 resulted in the formation of the 'S' enantiomer in high enantiomeric excess (up to >99% ee) and isolated yields (up to 75%). © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.