PURPOSE: To provide a novel enzyme capable of producing (R)-1- phenyl-1,3-propanediol which is useful as a starting substance for medicine by culturing a mlcroorganism in Trichosporon, capable of producing the enzyme producing the propanediol.

CONSTITUTION: A microorganism in Trichosporon capable of producing an enzyme giving (R)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol, for example, Trichosporon fermentans IFO 1199, is cultured in a medium and the product is collected from the culture mixture to give a novel enzyme which acts on 1-phenyl-propane-3-ol-1-one together with NADPH as a coenzyme to give (R)-1-phenyl-1,3-propanediol of 100%, e.e. optical purity, shows a high activity of reducing pyridine-3(4)-aldehyde and diacetyl with 6.0-7.5 optimal pH and 40°C optimal temperature, and is inhibited its enzymatic activity by mercury, p-chloromercurybenzoic acid, o- phenanthroline and α, α-dipyridyl, with 68,000 molecular weight (gel filtration) and 32,000 (SDS electrophoresis).