Olive oil hydrolysis by celite-immobilized Candida rugosa lipase

Candida rugosa lipase was immobilized on Celite by acetone precipitation and adsorption. The immobilized enzyme was used for catalyzing olive oil hydrolysis in an aqueous medium without any added emulsifiers. Adsorption on Celite gave better results in terms of effectiveness factor, reuse, and stability compared to acetone precipitation. Adsorbed lipase exhibited good hydrolytic activity but was never more efficient than soluble enzyme. The effectiveness factor of lipase adsorbed on Celite was found to be 0.90. The fatty acid formation was linearly increased (P < 0.05) up to an enzyme concentration of 0.5 mg. The progress curve of the olive oil hydrolysis gave a typical hyperbolic form. After immobilization, the optimal reaction pH was shifted from 7 to 6.5 and the optimal reaction temperature from 40 to 45 degrees C. Although the lipase immobilized on Celite exhibited higher stability, the rapid loss of enzyme activity appeared to be the main problem during repetitive use. The parameters, specific production rate, and maximum product value were estimated for each experimental data set by applying the Logistic-2 model.