Immobilisation of Rhizopus arrhizus cells on a solid support (polyurethane
foam) for lipase production has been explored. Lipase biosynthesis was repr
essed at a high glucose level. Maximum productivity was recorded at 1 g l(-
1) glucose concentration. The inclusion of 0.5 g l(-1) corn oil (as an indu
cer) in the fermentation medium resulted in 2.5-fold higher lipase producti
on compared to the control where no oil was added. Repeated-batch experimen
ts revealed that immobilised R. arrhizus cells demonstrated reproducible be
haviour, producing the same amount of enzyme over a 120 h period. The stora
ge stability of the enzyme was investigated and enzyme activity reduction w
as 26% within 160 h. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights
reserved.