Bio-imprinting of lipases with fatty acids

Bio-imprinting of lipases with fatty acids was shown to be a feasible, effective method for obtaining highly active enzymes in organic solvents. The increase in activity was dependent on the enzyme type, the solvent type and the imprint molecule itself. A correlation between the initial activity of caprylic acid-imprinted Candida rugosa lipase (CRL), and solvent hydrophobicity was observed. In addition, the combination of bio-imprinting with adsorption onto an inert support such as celite, proved to be a powerful technique for obtaining an even more active and stable enzyme preparations. In the case of lipase from Pseudomonas sp., the increase in activity resulting from bio-imprinting with caprylic acid and immobilization onto celite, was 20-fold. Porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL), treated in the same manner, retained 70% of its initial activity at the end of 20 consecutive reaction cycles, compared to only 20% residual activity for the non-treated control.