# Lipases

Lipases split fat ester bonds and release fatty acids that contribute to cheese aroma. Other lipid-active preparations change bread texture, modify edible fats or improve yolk emulsions. Compare each preparation with its food matrix and reaction.

Lipase preparations, their identities and food applications.

## Animal pregastric preparations

Pregastric lipases develop cheese flavor through fat hydrolysis. The preparations below come from calf, lamb or kid tissues.

| Preparation | Identity | Food use |
|---|---|---|
| Calf pregastric lipase — Italase | Calf pregastric lipase powder with salt and nonfat dry milk; contains milk. | New England Cheesemaking describes this Italase preparation as developing mild flavor in Italian-style cheeses. |
| Lamb pregastric lipase — Capilase | Lamb pregastric lipase powder with salt and nonfat dry milk; contains milk. | New England Cheesemaking describes this Capilase preparation as developing sharp, piquant flavor in Romano and Provolone. |
| Kid pregastric lipase — Clerici | Kid pregastric lipase preparation from glands at the base of the tongue. | Clerici describes strong, spicy cheese flavor, including Provolone Piccante. |

## Microbial lipases and flavor development

Microbial lipases develop flavor in dairy and other fat-containing foods through reactions with food lipids.

| Preparation | Identity | Food use |
|---|---|---|
| Lipase MER “Amano” | Lipase MER “Amano”, a preparation for enzyme-modified cheese. | In proteolyzed cheese slurry, MER developed an acid-dominated aroma with strong rancid and pungent notes. |
| Lipase AY “Amano” family | Amano’s portfolio includes AY 400SD; the cheese-slurry application below concerns AY 30G. | AY 30G treatment of proteolyzed cheese slurry produced more detected fruity esters and a fruitier, less rancid aroma at Gao et al.’s selected comparison point. |
| Palatase 20000 L | Palatase 20000 L, a food-grade liquid lipase preparation. | Palatase 20000 L supported isoamyl-ester synthesis in coconut cream supplemented with isoamyl alcohol. |
| Toufood Lipase Powder | Maltodextrin and lipase powder; Infusions4Chefs identifies Rhizopus oryzae fermentation as the enzyme source. | The supplier presents this culinary powder for fat hydrolysis in culinary experimentation. |

## Bread and cereal doughs

Lipases and phospholipases act on different flour lipids and can alter bread crumb structure and texture.

| Preparation | Identity | Food use |
|---|---|---|
| Lipopan 50 | Lipopan 50, a granulated lipase for baking; the dried-pasta example uses Lipopan 50 BG. | Novonesis describes Lipopan 50 for bread crumb structure and sliceability. Patent Example 1 describes firmer, less sticky dried durum spaghetti with Lipopan 50 BG. |
| Lipopan F — baking phospholipase | Lipopan F, a baking phospholipase; the bread-storage trial uses Lipopan F BG. | Lipopan F BG increased bread height and reduced crumb firming relative to the untreated wheat-bread control in Frauenlob et al.’s microbaking trial. |

## Edible-fat manufacture

Immobilized lipases catalyze fat modification during ingredient manufacture. Reaction, catalyst removal and fractionation shape the finished fat.

| Preparation | Identity | Food use |
|---|---|---|
| Lipozyme TL IM | Immobilized lipase catalyst for interesterification of edible oils and fats. | Rearranges fatty-acid placement to change fat behavior during ingredient manufacture. |
| Lipozyme RM IM | Immobilized Rhizomucor miehei lipase for fat modification. | Interesterification followed by fractionation produced a confectionery fat with cocoa-butter-like melting properties in Ghazani and Marangoni’s process. |

## Related phospholipase applications

Phospholipases modify phospholipids in oils, flour and egg yolk. Their applications include oil degumming and yolk-based emulsions.

| Preparation | Identity | Food use |
|---|---|---|
| Lecitase Ultra — phospholipase A1 | Lecitase Ultra, a liquid phospholipase A1 for oil degumming. | Modifies phospholipids during edible-oil processing. In Gerits et al.’s wheat-bread experiment, Lecitase Ultra treatment also increased loaf volume. |
| Egg-yolk phospholipase preparations | Phospholipase A1 and A2 preparations for liquid-yolk treatment; Maxapal A2 is a commercial egg-processing preparation. | In Xu et al.’s liquid-yolk comparison, A1 treatment gave greater thermal stability, while A2 treatment gave greater emulsifying capacity. |

## Preparation details

### Calf pregastric lipase — Italase

#### Preparation and cheese flavor

Pregastric calf lipase acts on milk fat during cheesemaking. This supplier’s powder combines the enzyme preparation with salt and nonfat dry milk.

[New England Cheesemaking: Italase ingredients and directions](https://cheesemaking.com/products/lipase-powder-italase-mild)

[EFSA (2025): pregastric lipase preparation and assay](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12593521/)

### Lamb pregastric lipase — Capilase

#### Preparation and cheese flavor

This New England Cheesemaking Capilase formulation contains pregastric lamb lipase, salt and nonfat dry milk. Its cheese application centers on sharp, piquant flavor development.

[New England Cheesemaking: Capilase ingredients and directions](https://cheesemaking.com/products/lipase-powder-lamb-sharp)

[EFSA (2025): pregastric lipase preparation and assay](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12593521/)

### Kid pregastric lipase — Clerici

#### Preparation strength

Clerici offers calf, lamb and kid lipases at several stated strengths. Source animal and preparation strength each contribute to the identity of a cheese enzyme.

#### Fatty-acid release

Kid, calf and lamb pregastric lipases show short-chain fatty-acid selectivity and positional selectivity with defined triglyceride substrates.

[Clerici: calf, lamb and kid lipase preparations](https://www.caglificioclerici.com/en/other-products/lipase/)

[Ruminant pregastric lipase specificity study (1996)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8885371/)

### Lipase MER “Amano”

#### Cheese-slurry flavor

Prior proteolysis preceded lipase treatment in Gao et al.’s cheese-slurry process. At the comparison point, MER produced stronger short-chain-acid headspace signals and fewer detected esters than the other treatments.

[Gao et al. (2022): comparative cheese-slurry experiment](https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/gels/gels-08-00160/article_deploy/gels-08-00160-v2.pdf)

[Amano: enzyme-modified-cheese product portfolio](https://www.amano-enzyme.com/application/food/emc/)

### Lipase AY “Amano” family

#### Preparation and process

AY 30G acted on the cheese slurry after proteolysis.

[Gao et al. (2022): comparative cheese-slurry experiment](https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/gels/gels-08-00160/article_deploy/gels-08-00160-v2.pdf)

[Amano: enzyme-modified-cheese product portfolio](https://www.amano-enzyme.com/application/food/emc/)

### Palatase 20000 L

#### Coconut flavor ingredients

The coconut-cream application combines the fat-containing matrix with added isoamyl alcohol for enzyme-catalyzed ester synthesis.

#### Butter flavor ingredients

In Cong et al.’s butter treatments, Palatase 20,000 L and Lipase MHA 10SD produced the strongest hydrolysis among the preparations tested. The resulting butter profiles included acids, lactones and ketones.

[Univar: food-grade Palatase 20000 L listing](https://www.univarsolutions.com/palatase-20000-l-16180165)

[Liu et al. (2013): isoamyl esters in coconut cream](https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jfr/article/view/25221)

[Gao et al. (2022): comparative cheese-slurry experiment](https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/gels/gels-08-00160/article_deploy/gels-08-00160-v2.pdf)

[Cong et al. (2025): enzyme-modified butter composition](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39740435/)

### Toufood Lipase Powder

#### Reaction

Triacylglycerol lipase hydrolyzes fat ester bonds, releasing fatty acids. Toufood formulates the lipase with maltodextrin as a powder.

[Infusions4Chefs: Toufood Lipase Powder composition](https://infusions4chefs.co.uk/toufood-lipase-powder-100g/)

[IUBMB: triacylglycerol lipase reaction](https://iubmb.qmul.ac.uk/enzyme/EC3/1/1/3.html)

### Lipopan 50

#### Dried-pasta process

The Lipopan 50 BG patent example incorporates the enzyme into durum-semolina spaghetti manufacture with controlled extrusion and drying.

[Novonesis: current Lipopan 50 identity and application](https://www.novonesis.com/en/biosolutions/food-and-beverages/baking/affordability-and-flexibility/dough-strengthening/lipopan-50)

[EP1057415A1, Example 1: Lipopan 50 BG in dried pasta](https://patents.google.com/patent/EP1057415A1/en)

### Lipopan F — baking phospholipase

#### Bread lipids and texture

Gerits et al.’s wheat-bread experiment linked Lipopan F and Lecitase Ultra treatments with increased loaf volume and changes in flour phospholipids and galactolipids.

[Novonesis: current Lipopan F phospholipase](https://www.novonesis.com/en/biosolutions/food-and-beverages/baking/affordability-and-flexibility/dough-strengthening/lipopan-f)

[Frauenlob et al. (2018): bread height and crumb firming](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cche.10047)

[Gerits et al. (2014): wheat lipids and bread volume](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24629957/)

### Lipozyme TL IM

#### Fat blends

Zhang’s fat-modification experiment used silica-granulated Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase in bulk-fat blends, including fully hydrogenated cottonseed oil with soybean oil.

#### Melting and crystallization

In those blends, free fatty acids softened the solid-fat profile, while diacylglycerols delayed crystal transformation. Water and hydrolysis products contribute to the physical result alongside interesterification.

#### Catalyst removal

The manufacturing process separates the immobilized catalyst from the modified fat.

[Novonesis: Lipozyme TL IM identity and industrial format](https://www.novonesis.com/en/biosolutions/industrial-bioprocessing/oils-and-fats/lipozyme-tl-im)

[Zhang (2007): Lipozyme TL IM fat-modification experiment](https://openbiotechnologyjournal.com/VOLUME/1/PAGE/72/PDF/)

### Lipozyme RM IM

#### Confectionery-fat process

The process combined enzymatically synthesized shea stearin with palm mid-fraction. After reaction, catalyst removal and acetone fractionation yielded the confectionery-fat ingredient.

[Ghazani and Marangoni (2018): confectionery-fat synthesis](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-33600-x)

### Lecitase Ultra — phospholipase A1

#### Flour-lipid application

In the wheat-bread experiment, changes in polar flour lipids and their hydrolysis products accompanied the loaf-volume response.

[Novonesis: Lecitase Ultra phospholipase A1](https://www.novonesis.com/en/biosolutions/industrial-bioprocessing/oils-and-fats/degumming/physical-refining/lecitase-ultra)

[Gerits et al. (2014): wheat lipids and bread volume](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24629957/)

### Egg-yolk phospholipase preparations

#### Yolk emulsions

Proteins and phospholipids both contribute to the emulsifying behavior of the treated liquid yolks.

#### Maxapal A2 application

Maxapal A2 converts egg lecithin into lysolecithin for yolk-based emulsions in mayonnaise and sauces.

[Xu et al. (2024): phospholipase-treated liquid egg yolk](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39643337/)

[dsm-firmenich: Maxapal A2 egg-processing preparation](https://www.dsm-firmenich.com/en/businesses/taste-texture-health/markets-products/processing-ingredients/egg/maxapal-a2.html)

## Reference notes

Triacylglycerol lipases hydrolyze fat ester bonds and release fatty acids. Lipid-active preparations can also catalyze ester synthesis or interesterification in specific food matrices and reaction conditions.

[IUBMB: triacylglycerol lipase reaction](https://iubmb.qmul.ac.uk/enzyme/EC3/1/1/3.html)

[Liu et al. (2013): isoamyl esters in coconut cream](https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jfr/article/view/25221)

[Zhang (2007): Lipozyme TL IM fat-modification experiment](https://openbiotechnologyjournal.com/VOLUME/1/PAGE/72/PDF/)

Pregastric lipases develop flavor through milk-fat hydrolysis; milk-clotting rennet coagulates milk for cheesemaking. Indigenous milk lipases provide another source of fat-hydrolyzing activity.

[EFSA (2025): pregastric lipase preparation and assay](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12593521/)

[New England Cheesemaking: Italase ingredients and directions](https://cheesemaking.com/products/lipase-powder-italase-mild)

[New England Cheesemaking: Capilase ingredients and directions](https://cheesemaking.com/products/lipase-powder-lamb-sharp)

[Broel et al. (2022): milk lipases, pregastric preparations and separate rennet use](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9455245/)

Follow the preparation’s application and handling instructions. Enzyme activity units depend on the assay used to measure activity. Inhaled enzyme dust or aerosols can cause sensitization and allergic reactions.

[EFSA (2025): pregastric lipase preparation and assay](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12593521/)

[Stemler and Scherf (2022): butter-containing cake trials](https://publikationen.bibliothek.kit.edu/1000151845/149502086)

[Novonesis: Lipozyme TL IM identity and industrial format](https://www.novonesis.com/en/biosolutions/industrial-bioprocessing/oils-and-fats/lipozyme-tl-im)