LIPASE
Lipases:
Lipases are enzymes that catalyze triacylglycerol (TAG) hydrolysis to glycerol and fatty acids (FAs). Lipases, along with amylases and proteases, are the three most important known digestive enzymes. Microbial lipases have the potential to be significant for a wide range of industrial applications since they are very stable and capable of catalyzing a variety of processes. Microbial lipases in particular are significant biocatalysts for industry. Hence efforts to screen, produce, and purify lipase enzyme from microbial strains are ongoing to meet the demands of the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Lipase is found in the highest concentrations in bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Staphylococcus sp., and Burkholderia sp. are the most common bacterial sources of lipases. The most hydrolytic processes were catalyzed by bacterial lipase, which also had the greatest levels of activity and was among the most stable of all the enzymes. Bacillus is the most efficient lipase producing genera employed in industry. They are potent extracellular lipase producers and gram positive endospore formers that produce a wide range of enzymes. They show that they can thrive in a range of temperatures, pH levels, and salt concentrations. The stability of the lipases makes them of great industrial significance.
General enzymatic reaction of Lipase:
Applications of Lipases:
Lipases are frequently utilized in the synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals, the creation of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, the processing of fats and oils, detergents and degreasing formulas, food processing, detergents, and paper manufacturing. Polyurethane and fatty waste can both be rapidly degraded with the aid of lipase. Fungi and bacteria are the primary sources of the majority of industrial microbial lipases.
Lipases in detergent industry: Lipases are commonly used as additions in commercial laundry and domestic detergents because of their capacity to hydrolyze lipids. The following criteria are carefully considered when choosing detergent lipases: 1) a low substrate specificity, 2) the capacity to endure somewhat abrasive washing conditions (3) Resistance to potentially harmful surfactants and enzymes, such as linear alkyl benzene sulfonates (LAS) and proteases, which are vital components of many detergent formulations.
Lipases in food industry: The nutritional and sensory value, as well as the physical properties of a triglyceride, are heavily influenced by factors such as the fatty acid's position in the glycerol backbone, chain length, and degree of unsaturation. Lipases allow us to change the properties of lipids by moving fatty acid chains in the glyceride and replacing one or more fatty acids with new ones.
Lipases in organic synthesis: Lipases are increasingly being used in organic chemical synthesis. The vast majority of lipases used as catalysts in organic chemistry are derived from bacteria. These enzymes operate at the hydrophilic-lipophilic interface and can withstand organic solvents in reaction mixtures.