PRODUCTION, PARTIAL PURIFICATION AND IMMOBILIZATION OF TRIACYLGLYCEROL LIPASE FROM INDIGENOUS LIPOLYTIC MICROORGANISMS

Abstract

Triacylglycerol lipase was produced from indigenous Aspergillus niger and Bacillus sp. using submerged fermentation. The production process was optimized and lipase was then purified and immobilized. The optimization process improved enzyme production by many folds. Maximum lipase activity was obtained; with microorganisms cultured in medium containing 1% olive oil and 1% soybean meal as substrate, 72hrs incubation at 30°C, pH 6.0 and medium supplementation with 2% glucose, 1% peptone for A. niger, 72hrs incubation at 37°C, pH 8.0 and medium supplementation with 1% glucose, 1.5% pep-tone for Bacillus sp. The enzymes were purified using ammonium sulphate precipitation and ion exchange chromatography to achieve 13-14 fold purity with a yield ranging from 53-57%. Lewatite and Amberlite were found to supports of choice for the immobliza-tion of bacterial and fungal lipases, respectively. The immobilized lipase is a promising tool for industrial applications in terms of its retention of enzymatic activity and reusability