KINETICS OF HYDROLYSIS OF TRIBUTYRIN BY LIPASE

Kinetics of the enzymatic hydrolysis of tributyrin using lipase has been investigated. The initial rate of reaction was determined experimentally at different substrate concentration by measuring the rate of butyric acid produced. Michaels-Menten kinetic model has been proposed to predict the initial rate of hydrolysis of tributyrin in micro-emulsion system. The kinetic parameters were estimated by fitting the data to the model using three methods, namely, the Lineweaver-Burk, Edie-Hofstee and Hanes methods. The Michaels-Menten model with the constant predicted by Edie-Hofstee and Hanes methods predicted the initial rate of reaction at various substrate concentrations better than the model with the constant predicted Lineweaver-Burk method, especially at high substrate concentrations.