Fungal Lipase
We use fungi and bacteria to produce enzymes that are interesting for industrial applications.
An example are lipases, extracellular hydrolases that cleave triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol.
An interesting lipase producer is Phialemonium curvatum. It can grow in mineral salts medium at pH 3 with plant oil, e.g. rapeseed oil, as sole source of carbon and energy. These selective conditions allow cultivation in rain water barrels at 350 Litre scale with a minimum of sterile technique.