Recent advances and applications of the lipolytic activity of Carica papaya latex

The lipolytic enzymes of Carica papaya have been the subjects of a growing research activity in the last years due to the structural characteristics, substrate specificity over lipases from different sources and the wide availability from the large worldwide figures of papaya agro-waste. This review attempts to present an inclusive discussion of the recent advances of these lipolytic enzymes starting from findings related to their structure and mechanism and later examining the most employed pretreatments and the general optimized parameters for its use. Furthermore, individual sections comprising applications in glycerolipid modification, catalysis for the synthesis of non-glycerolipid products and the kinetic resolution of racemic compounds are discussed. The attractive features of CPL cited in this literature survey serve as an invitation for other research groups interested in the development of new and sustainable biochemical technologies.

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► The review provides current prospects of Carica papaya lipase (CPL) technology.
► The “self-immobilized” nature of CPL confers high stability under diverse conditions.
► General and specific strategies for the optimization of CPL are suggested.
► Glycerolipid and non-glycerolipid syntheses are valuable CPL applications.
► Kinetic resolution of racemic mixtures is attainable through CPL in organic media.