A New Enzyme for Biodiesel Production and Food Applications: Lipase of Bacillus megaterium F25 Isolated From an Aquatic Insect Rhantus suturalis

Karaman F., İNCEKARA Ü., Arslan N. P., ALBAYRAK Ş., Ortucu S., TAŞKIN M.

GCB Bioenergy, cilt.16, sa.12, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 16 Sayı: 12
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1111/gcbb.70009
  • Dergi Adı: GCB Bioenergy
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, PASCAL, Applied Science & Technology Source, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Compendex, Geobase, Greenfile, INSPEC, Pollution Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: aquatic insects, gut symbiont, lipase, lipolytic bacteria, transesterification
  • Atatürk Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study aimed to isolate, purify, and characterize a lipase from the gut symbiont Bacillus megaterium F25 (GenBank accession: MF597792) of the aquatic insect Rhantus suturalis, with a focus on its potential applications in biodiesel and food industries. Under optimized culture conditions, B. megaterium F25 could produce 583 U/L of lipase in shaking flask culture. The purified lipase (PL) exhibited a specific activity with 113.89 U/mg, and its molecular weight was determined as 34 kDa. The activity of PL was enhanced by methanol, ethanol, Tween-80, Triton X-100, Ca2+, and Mg2+, while β-mercaptoethanol, EDTA, SDS, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Cu2+ were inhibitory. PL showed optimal activity and stability at neutral and slightly acidic pHs, as well as in a temperature range of 20°C–30°C. PL displayed strong hydrolytic activity toward plant oils and animal fats, indicating its potency for both the food industry and the remediation of oil-contaminated environments. When tested as a catalyst, PL provided biodiesel production with a transesterification yield of 86.8% under optimized conditions (36 h reaction time, 4 mL enzyme solution, 30°C, pH 7.0, and waste cooking oil:methanol ratio of 10 mL/40 mL). This is the first report on the lipase-producing potential of gut microbial symbionts of aquatic insects. Furthermore, B. megaterium lipase was tested for the first time as a biocatalyst for biodiesel production.