Lipase from Rhizomucor miehei as a biocatalyst in fats and oils modification

The lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (RML), formerly Mucor miehei, is a commercially available enzyme in both soluble and immobilized forms with very high activity and good stability under diverse experimental conditions (anhydrous organic solvents, supercritical fluids, etc.). The uses of the enzyme were initially oriented towards food industry, that way the enzyme has found a broad application in this area. This review intends to show the enzyme features and some of the most relevant aspects of the use of this interesting enzyme in oils and fats modification. The enzyme has been the first lipase whose structure was reported and its interfacial activation is very well known, making this enzyme a good template for modeling studies. Finally, the main uses of the enzyme in fatty acids, oils and fats modification will be revised (hydrolysis of glycerides, transesterification, esterification, acidolysis and interesterification). This lipase seems to be advantageous when compared to other lipases mainly in esterificaton reactions in anhydrous media, while other lipases can be preferred in transesterification reactions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.