Catalytic properties and potential applications of Bacillus lipases

Up to date more than 70 lipases from the Bacillus and Geobacillus genera have been isolated, but for most of them only basic biochemical properties have been reported. In general, Bacillus lipases are easily produced and display high tolerance toward organic solvents, proving them useful in the synthesis of esters for food industry, cosmetics and biodiesel production. Many lipases preserve their activity at extreme temperatures and pH, and in the presence of surfactants, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite, and therefore they can be applied in laundry formulations. Bacillus lipases display diverse selectivity to the chain length of the acid, and few enzymes show positional specificity. Several enzymes can be applied in the production of enantiopure compounds for the pharmaceutical industry due to their remarkable enantioselectivity. The immobilization experiments with Bacillus lipases, though a limited number, illustrate the vast possibilities for optimization of the properties of the biocatalysts for a particular application. The paper summarizes available experimental data on Bacillus and Geobacillus lipases and identifies areas for further research.