Lipase-induced hydrolysis of castor oil: effect of various metals

The ability of an extracellular lipase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa KKA-5 to commence hydrolysis of castor oil in the presence of various metal chlorides, was investigated. Apart from CaCl2 (commonly used for castor oil hydrolysis), AlCl3 (group IIIB), CrCl3 (group VIA) and MgCl2 (group IIA) displayed enhanced hydrolysis capability. Specifically, our statistics show that with respect to time, when Cr3+ was used, hydrolysis of castor oil was four times faster than that of calcium, and 1.6 times faster with regards to Al3+. The chlorides of group VIII and alkali metals had no effect on hydrolysis. Group IV metal chlorides did not enhance lipase activity and inhibited castor oil hydrolysis. The effect of metal ions from other groups on lipase activity is also reported.