Oil and fat hydrolysis with lipase fromAspergillus sp.

Hydrolysis of olive oil, soybean oil, mink fat, lard, palm oil, coconut oil, and a hydrogenated, hardened oil with lipase from anAspergillus sp. has been studied. The lipase had high specific activity (60,000 U/g) and did not show any positional specificity. The lipase proved to be a more effective catalyst than Lipolase fromA. oryzae, with an optimal activity at 37°C and pH 6.5–7.0. It was activated by Ca2+ but inactivated by organic solvents such as isopropanol and propanone. All substrates examined could be hydrolyzed to corresponding fatty acids with this enzyme at concentrations of 5–30 U/meq with yields of 90–99% in 2–24 h. The degree of hydrolysis was almost logarithmically linear with reaction time and occurred in two stages. The lipase was stable and could be repeatedly recycled for hydrolysis.