The activity and stability of lipase B from Candida antarctica were investigated in direct enzymatic esterification of D-xylose with palmitic acid using ethylmethylketone as reaction media. The xylose palmitate was obtained under the optimized conditions, 1:1 molar ratio of xylose:palmitic acid, at 250 rpm and 60°C. Effect of the use of Butanol to wash the immobilized lipase before the enzyme reuse was evaluated. The lipase could be successfully reused four times without loss of activity. Various physicochemical characteristics of 1-O-hexadecanoyl-D- xylopyranose were also studied.