Strategies to characterize fungal lipases for applications in medicine and dairy industry.

Thangavel Lakshmipriya,Periasamy Anbu,Subash C. B. Gopinath,Azariah Hilda

doi:10.1155/2013/154549

Abstract

Lipases are water-soluble enzymes that act on insoluble substrates and catalyze the hydrolysis of long-chain triglycerides. Lipases play a vital role in the food, detergent, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. In the past, fungal lipases gained significant attention in the industries due to their substrate specificity and stability under varied chemical and physical conditions. Fungal enzymes are extracellular in nature, and they can be extracted easily, which significantly reduces the cost and makes this source preferable over bacteria. Soil contaminated with spillage from the products of oil and dairy harbors fungal species, which have the potential to secrete lipases to degrade fats and oils. Herein, the strategies involved in the characterization of fungal lipases, capable of degrading fatty substances, are narrated with a focus on further applications.

Highlights

Lipases are defined as triacylglycerol acyl hydrolases (EC 3.1.1.3) and are involved in the hydrolysis of fats and oils to yield glycerol and free fatty acids [1] (Figure 1(a))
Lipases catalyze the hydrolysis of ester bonds at the interface between an insoluble substrate phase and the aqueous phase where the enzyme remains dissolved [2] (Figure 1(b))
With mechanisms for adapting to environmental extremes and for the utilization of their trophic niche, the ability of microorganisms to produce extracellular enzymes is of great survival value [16]

Summary

Introduction

Lipases are defined as triacylglycerol acyl hydrolases (EC 3.1.1.3) and are involved in the hydrolysis of fats and oils to yield glycerol and free fatty acids [1] (Figure 1(a)). Lipases are involved in conversion reactions, such as esterification, interesterification, transesterification, alcoholysis, acidolysis, and aminolysis [3]. Many microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, molds, and a few protozoa are known to secrete lipases for the digestion of lipid materials [1, 4–12]. Lipases are widely documented among bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals [17, 18]. Fungi are involved in the degradation of undesirable materials or compounds converting them into harmless, tolerable, or useful products. Bioconversion by fungal activity results in the production of a vast number of useful substances. Bearing in mind the importance of lipolytic fungal enzymes from different disposal sources, this overview focuses on strategies to characterize the fungal lipases with an emphasis on a wide range of applications

Lipolytic Fungal Species from Oil-Spill Wastes

Screening Lipase Production on Agar Solid Surface

Degradation of Oils by Lipases

Purification Strategies for Lipases

Statistical Calculations

Biosensors for Lipase

Conclusions