Characterization of 1,3-regiospecific lipases from new Pseudomonas and Bacillus isolates

Lipase producing ability of 120 bacterial isolates was examined qualitatively, resulting in 32 lipase producers, which were further screened for 1,3-regiospecificity. Three Bacillus (GK-8, GK-31 and GK-42) and one Pseudomonas (GK-80) were found to produce 1,3-regiospecific lipases. These lipases were alkaline in nature as they showed pH optima of 9.0 and high stability in the alkaline pH range of 8.0-11.0. The lipases from three Bacillus isolates, viz. GK-8, GK-31 and GK-42 showed temperature optima of 37 degrees C, whereas the Pseudomonas (GK-80) lipase showed optimum activity at 50 degrees C. The lipase of GK-8 was highly stable and showed enhanced activity in different organic solvents like petroleum ether (172%), diethyl ether (143%) and acetone (135%). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.