Selection of potential lipase producer for castor oil hydrolysis

Abstract

Lipases are used by many researchers to catalyze the hydrolysis of castor oil. Castor oil, also known as ricinus oil, occurs in the seeds of the castor plant, Ricinus communis. Fifteen isolates were screened for lipase production on solid and liquid media. The isolate which gave highest zone of hydrolysis and lipase production was selected for further study. On the basis of routine biochemical tests and 16S rRNA sequencing the best lipase producer, among 15 isolates tested, was identified as Bacillus licheniformis (GenBank accession number HQ262548). In this study, the effect of castor oil concentration on its hydrolysis using lipase from the potential isolate has been investigated. It was found that hot press castor oil was more easily hydrolyzed as compared to olive oil, followed by cold press castor oil. Hydrolysis of castor oil was found to be improved by the addition of an emulsifier.