Hydration-aggregation pretreatment for drastically improving esterification activity of commercial lipases in non-aqueous media.

We investigated a novel, simple method for activating lipases in non-aqueous reaction media. Lipase powders were suspended in n-fatty alcohols and were then hydrated by adding a small amount of water. A paste-like aggregate was recovered from the mixture followed by lyophilization for obtaining activated lipases as dry powders.