Penicillium restrictum was identified as a promising strain for lipase production due to enzyme production yield and thermal stability of the enzyme. This work presents results of lipase purification and enzyme stability versus pH. Ultrafiltration and precipitation with ammonium sulphate were used as initial purification steps. The partially purified enzyme preparation showed an increase in stability as pH increased. The crude enzymatic preparation was assayed with different oils and tributirin and showed a major catalytic activity for triglycerides of medium/long-chain fatty acids. Further purification steps were conducted on an analytical scale. The initial attempt to use gel filtration was abandoned as lipase lost its stability after this chromatographic procedure. The fast ion-exchange chromatography was performed on a Mono Q column, and two peaks with lipolytic activity were isolated and analysed by electrophoresis.
lipase; Penicillium restrictum; purification; characterization; stability
