Lipase is an enzyme and belongs to the class of hydrolase. Lipase is produced in the pancreas, mouth, and stomach. It catalyzes the hydrolysis of triglycerides to glycerol and free fatty acids. The body uses lipase to break down fats in food so they can be absorbed in the intestines.
Lipases are widely employed to catalyze hydrolysis, alcoholysis, esterification, interesterification, acidolysis and transesterification of carboxylic esters. Their unique characteristics include substrate specificity, stereospecificity, regioselectivity and ability to catalyze a heterogeneous reaction at the interface of water soluble and water insoluble systems. Lipases are used as flavor and aroma constituents in the food industry, to produce valuable oleo chemical species for diesel engines, as additives in cosmetic formulations, to remove the pitch from pulp produced in the paper industry, for the hydrolysis of milk fat in the dairy industry, to remove non-cellulosic impurities from raw cotton before further processing into dyed and finished products, for the drug formulations in the pharmaceutical industry, and to remove subcutaneous fat in the leather industry. Lipases are also used to diagnose pancreatitis in patients. Clinically lipases help a person who has cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and act as a candidate target for cancer prevention and therapy. Lipases are also used to treat obesity in recent years.
