A Review on Extraction of Lipase from Aspergillus Species and its Applications

Abstract

Lipase enzyme which catalyses the hydrolysis of fats performs a variety of chemical reactions including esterification, trans-esterification, acidolysis and aminolysis. Lipases are widely used for biotechnological application in dairy industry, oil processing and production of surfactants and preparation of enatiomerically pure pharmaceuticals. Lipases are extracted from plants, animals and microorganisms whereas high amount of lipases are produced by microbes when compared to plants and animal source. Fungi serve as a major source in the production of industrial lipase. Fungi play a vital role in removing hazardous compounds formed by crude oil contamination from oil spill during lipase extraction. Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium restrictum, Rhizomucar rhizopodiformis, Rhizopus oligosporous, Candida rugosa, Rhizopus oryzae, Fusarium oxysporum are few fungal species involved in the production of lipase. Among the species, Aspergillus species produce efficient amount of lipase. Lipase extracted from fungi is more stable and have more diverse properties compared to lipase from other source. Fungal lipases stand out as major source because of their catalytic activity, low cost of production and relative ease in genetic manipulation. This review focuses on the various methods of lipase extraction from Aspergillus species and its applications.