Antimicrobial activity of n-butyl lactate obtained via enzymatic esterification of lactic acid with n-butanol in supercritical trifluoromethane

Immobilized lipases-based nano-biocatalytic systems - A versatile platform with incredible biotechnological potential

Lipases belong to α/β hydrolases that cause hydrolytic catalysis of triacylglycerols to release monoacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, and glycerol with free fatty acids. Lipases have a common active site that contains three amino acid residues in a conserved Gly-X-Ser-X-Gly motif: a nucleophilic serine residue, an acidic aspartic or glutamic acid residue, and a basic histidine residue. Lipase plays a significant role in numerous industrial and biotechnological processes, including paper, food, oleochemical and pharmaceutical applications. However, its instability and aqueous solubility make application expensive and relatively challenging. Immobilization has been considered as a promising approach to improve enzyme stability, reusability, and survival under extreme temperature and pH environments. Innumerable supporting material in the form of natural polymers and nanostructured materials is a crucial aspect in the procedure of lipase immobilization used to afford biocompatibility, stability in physio-chemical belongings, and profuse binding positions for enzymes. This review outlines the unique structural and functional properties of a large number of polymers and nanomaterials as robust support matrices for lipase immobilization. Given these supporting materials, the applications of immobilized lipases in different industries, such as biodiesel production, polymer synthesis, additives, detergent, textile, and food industry are also discussed.

Immobilized microbial lipases in the food industry: a systematic literature review

Several studies describe the immobilization of microbial lipases aiming to evaluate the mechanical/thermal stability of the support/enzyme system, the appropriate method for immobilization, acid and alkaline stability, tolerance to organic solvents and specificity of fatty acids. However, literature reviews focus on application of enzyme/support system in food technology remains scarce. This current systematic literature review aimed to identify, evaluate and interpret available and relevant researches addressing the type of support and immobilization techniques employed over lipases, in order to obtain products for food industry. Fourteen selected articles were used to structure the systematic review, in which the discussion was based on six main groups: (i) synthesis/enrichment of polyunsaturated fatty acids; (ii) synthesis of structured lipids; (iii) flavors and food coloring; (iv) additives, antioxidants and antimicrobials; (v) synthesis of phytosterol esters and (vi) synthesis of sugar esters. In general, the studies discussed the synthesis of the enzyme/support system and the characteristics: surface area, mass transfer resistance, activity, stability (pH and temperature), and recyclability. Each immobilization technique is applicable for a specific production, depending mainly on the sensitivity and cost of the process.