Concentration, Partial Characterization, and Immobilization of Lipase Extract from P. brevicompactum by Solid-State Fermentation of Babassu Cake and Castor Bean Cake

Abstract

One relevant limitation hindering the industrial application of microbial lipases has been attributed to their production cost, which is determined by the production yield, enzyme stability among other. The objective of this work was to evaluate the concentration and immobilization of lipase extracts from Penicillium brevicompactum obtained by solid-state fermentation of babassu cake and castor bean cake. The precipitation with ammonium sulfate 60% of saturation of crude extract obtained with babassu cake as raw material showed an enhancement in hydrolytic and esterification activities from 31.82 to 227.57 U/g and from 170.92 to 207.40 U/g, respectively. Concentrated lipase extracts showed preference to medium-chain triglycerides and fatty acids. It is shown that the enzyme activity is maintained during storage at low temperatures (4 and -10°C) for up to 30 days. Higher esterification activities were achieved when the lipase extract was immobilized in sodium alginate and activated coal.