The conversion of trans-cinnamic acid to phenylalanine using phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) was examined. The optimum concentration of trans-cinnamic acid for the reaction was observed at 100 mM in cells and at 20 mM in cell free extracts, respectively. The production of L-phenylalanine was increased in both experiments as the concentration of ammonia was increased up to 10 M. The optimal pHs for the maximal conversion of trans-cinnamic acid to L-phenylalanine were 9.5 and 9.0 in experiments carried out with cells and with cell free extracts, respectively.