A STABLE LIPASE FROM CANDIDA-LIPOLYTICA - CULTIVATION CONDITIONS AND CRUDE ENZYME CHARACTERISTICS

Although lipases have been intensively studied, some aspects of enzyme production Like substrate uptake, catabolite repression, and enzyme s tability under long storage periods are seldom discussed in the Litera ture. This work deals with the production of lipase by a new selected strain of Candida lipolytica. Concerning nutrition, it was observed th at inorganic nitrogen sources were not as effective as peptone, and th at oleic acid or triacylglycerides (TAG) were essential carbon sources . Repression by glucose and stimulation by oleic acid and long chain T AG (triolein and olive oil) were observed. Extracellular Lipase activi ty was only observed at high levels at late stationary phase, whereas intracellular lipase levels were constant and almost undetectable duri ng the cultivation period, suggesting that the produced enzyme was att ached to the cell wall, mainly at the beginning of cultivation. The cr ude lipase produced by this yeast strain shows the following optima co nditions: pH 8.0-10.0, temperature of 55 degrees C. Moreover, this pre paration maintains its full activity for at least 370 d at 5 degrees C .