Evaluation of a novel thermo-alkaline Staphylococcus aureus lipase for application in detergent formulations

AbstractAn extracellular lipase of a newly isolated S. aureus strain ALA1 (SAL4) was purified from the optimized culture medium. The SAL4 specific activity determined at 60°C and pH 12 by using olive oil emulsion or TC4, reached 7215U/mg and 2484U/mg, respectively. The 38 NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme starting with two extra amino acid residues (LK) was similar to known staphylococcal lipase sequences. This novel lipase maintained almost 100% and 75% of its full activity in a pH range of 4.0–12 after a 24h incubation or after 0.5h treatment at 70°C, respectively. Interestingly, SAL4 displayed appreciable stability toward oxidizing agents, anionic and non-ionic surfactants in addition to its compatibility with several commercial detergents. Overall, these interesting characteristics make this new lipase promising for its application in detergent industry