DIRECT HPLC MONITORING OF LIPASE ACTIVITY IN REVERSE MICELLAR MEDIA

Given the profusion of biotechnological applications of the use of lipases, we have evaluated the possibilities of exploiting the inherent advantages of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for a simple, rapid assay of lipase activity in reverse micellar media, as a convenient alternative to previously reported spectroscopic methods, using both a model system and esterification reaction, and different commercial lipases. The results obtained after a screening for optimized chromatographic conditions in the reverse-phase mode indicate that a satisfactory resolution of the reaction components can be obtained following a straightforward protocol, which permits an accurate, reliable quantitation of the reaction progress, regardless of the enzyme used.