Production and down-stream processing of an extracellular lipase from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica

Lipase constitutes an interesting class of enzyme with many biotechnological applications. However, the development of a fruitful process must be set up to obtained a product compatible with the industrial and commercial needs. Here, we report the development of such a process for the extracellular lipase secreted by the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. The enzyme production, carried out in a 2000 L bioreactor, led to a lipase activity of approximately 1100 U mL−1 after 53 h of fermentation. The post-culture treatment, consisting of a centrifugation, a filtration and an ultra-filtration steps, led to 15-fold volume reduction and a 8-fold increased of the lipase activity. Finally, addition of 12% of milk powder and 3% of gum arabic before spray-drying dehydration led to a stable powder with a lipolytic activity of 37,500 U g D.W.−1.