Fungal Lipase

Fungal Lipase is manufactured from genus aspergillus by fermentation. This is followed by sophisticated down stream processes, which includes filtration, concentration, micro filtration and finally spray drying to fine powder.

Incomplete digestion of fat allows fat to coat food particles and therefore interferes with the hydrolysis of other food components such as protein and carbohydrates. Normal digestion of dietary fat is accomplished by Lipase with the assistance of bile, which is produced by the liver and normally supplied by way of the gallbladder. The function of bile is to bring ingested fats into emulsion to facilitate the work of the Lipase. Incomplete digestion of fats may result in diarrhea and essential fatty acid deficiency. Adequate absorption of essential fatty acids is necessary to maintain membrane structure in cells throughout the body and to maintain healthy skin. Essential fatty acid deficiency also reduces blood clotting time. Additional enzyme (Protease and amylase) are included to enhance the performance of the other ingredients

It is in the last decade that lipases have gained importance to a certain extent over proteases and amylases, specially in the area of organic synthesis. The enantioselective and regioselective nature of lipases have been utilized for the resolution of chiral drugs, fat modification, synthesis of cocoa butter substituents, biofuels, and for synthesis of personal care products and flavour enhancers. Thus, lipases are today the enzymes of choice for organic chemists, pharmacists, biophysicists, biochemical and process engineers, biotechnologists, microbiologists and biochemists. Lipases (triacylglycerol acylhydrolases) belong to the class of serine hydrolases and therefore do not require any cofactor. The natural substrates of lipases are triacylglycerols, having very low solubility in water. Under natural conditions, they catalyse the hydrolysis of ester bonds at the interface between an insoluble substrate phase and the aqueous phase in which the enzyme is dissolved.

Under certain experimental conditions, such as in the absence of water, they are capable of reversing the reaction. The reverse reaction leads to esterification and formation of glycerides from fatty acids and glycerol. The occurrence of the lipase reaction at an interface between the substrate and the aqueous phase causes difficulties in the assay and kinetic analysis of the reaction. The usual industrial lipases are special classes of esterase enzymes that act on fats and oils, and hydrolyse them initially into the substituted glycerides and fatty acids, and finally on total hydrolysis into glycerol and fatty acids.

In nature, the lipases available from various sources have considerable variation in their reaction specificities: this property is generally referred as enzyme specificity. Thus, from the fatty acid side, some lipases have affinity for short-chain fatty acids (acetic, butyric, capric, caproic, caprylic, etc.), some have preference for unsaturated fatty acids (oleic, linoleic, linolenic, etc.), while many others are nonspecific and randomly split the fatty acids from the triglycerides. From the glycerol side of the triglycerides, the lipases often show positional specificity and attack the fatty acids at 1 or 3 carbon position of glycerol or at both the positions but not the fatty acid at the 2 position of the glycerol molecule. However, through random acyl migration, the 2-fatty acid monoglyceride undergoes rearrangement pushing the fatty acid to the 1 or 3 position of the glycerol molecule; as acyl migration is a slow process and as the available lipases do not act on glycerol 2-mono fatty acid esters, the hydrolysis slows down and awaits the acyl migration to complete for enabling the lipase to attack the glyceride at the 1 and/or the 3 position. Interestingly, lipases function at the oil-water interface). The amount of oil available at the interface determines the activity of the lipases.

Lipases are not involved in any anabolic processes. Since this enzyme acts at the oil-water interface, it can be used as a catalyst for the preparation of industrially important compounds. Lipases catalyse the hydrolysis of triglycerides into diglycerides, monoglycerides, glycerol and fatty acids, and under certain conditions the reverse reaction leads to esterification and formation of glycerides from glycerol and fatty acids. As lipases act on ester bonds, they have been used in fat splitting, interesterification (transesterification), development of
different flavours in cheese, improving pallatability of beef fat for making dog food, etc. A current application involves using lipases in water-deficient organic solvents for synthesizing different value-added esters from organic acids and alcohols. Lipases which are stable and work at alkaline pH, say 8 to 11, which are usually the suitable wash conditions for enzymated-detergent powders and liquids, have also been found, and these hold good potential for use in the detergent industry.

Research has been carried out on plant lipases, animal lipases and microbial lipases, particularly bacterial and fungal. Although pancreatic lipases have been traditionally used for various purposes, it is now well established that microbial lipases are preferred for commercial applications due to their multifold properties, easy extraction procedures, and unlimited supply.

Fungal lipases have been studied since 1950s, and Lawrence, and Brockerhoff and Jensen have presented comprehensive reviews. These lipases are being exploited due to their low cost of extraction, thermal and pH stability, substrate specificity, and activity in organic solvents. The chief producers of commercial lipases are Aspergillus niger, Candida cylindracea, Humicola lanuginosa, Mucor miehei, Rhizopus arrhizus, R. delemar, R. japonicus, R. niveus and R. oryzae.

Fungal Lipase is a specific enzyme that digests fat and is characterized by its ability to hydrolyze fat over a wide range of temperatures and pH. Fungal Lipase is effective in regulating the levels of Cholesterol and Triglycerides and is also helpful in different dietary regime for weight management.

Indications of Fungal Lipase: