Halophilic Bacteria and Archaea as Producers of Lipolytic Enzymes

Abstract

Among the extremophiles, halophiles constitute an interesting group of microorganisms as producers of lipolytic enzymes with potential biotechnological interest since these extremozymes are not only active in a wide range of salt concentrations but they are also tolerant to organic solvents and high temperature, offering new possibilities for different industrial processes operating at extreme conditions. Thus, although halophilic enzymes have not been studied in deep, if compared with their heat-stable counterparts, the unique characteristics exhibited by these enzymes have increased the interest in them and their biotechnological applications are likely to increase. In this chapter we review the diversity of halophilic microorganisms from saline and hypersaline environments producing lipolytic enzymes. We focus in the description of the most important characteristics of the lipolytic enzymes from halophilic bacteria and archaea, including a summary of the screening methods and the substrates used for detecting these enzymes. Moreover, we highlight the potential biotechnological applications of the characterized enzymes.