Production of Lipase from Streptomyces spp. AM9-01 by Solid-State Fermentation of Residual Babassu Mesocarp and Immobilization in Accurel® MP1000

A wide range of agro-industrial waste has been generated due to higher demands for food and energy. New protocols for its valorization are urgent strategies for sustainable development. In this work, residual babassu mesocarp, a native plant from the north of Brazil, was used as a matrix for producing lipases through solid-state fermentation (SSF) by actinobacterial strains. Initially, 121 strains were screened by rhodamine B and tributyrin methods, where strain Streptomyces spp. AM9-01 was the most promising. It was submitted to the SSF at 30 °C, where 84.8 ± 1.5 U·mL−1 of hydrolytic activity (HA) was found in 48 h. Further studies at pH 7 increased lipase production, achieving 94.6 ± 1.6 U·mL−1 of HA in 12 h. The enzymatic extract was immobilized in Accurel® MP1000, where the biocatalyst Lip 10 showed 79.9 ± 1.5% immobilization efficiency, 4234 ± 24 U·g−1 of HA, and activity retention of 55.4%. Lip10 was used to synthesize ethyl oleate, showing conversions of over 97% in 6 h of reaction, while the commercial biocatalysts TLIM® and N435® showed conversions of over 95% in just 8 h. In addition, Lip10 showed operational stability for eight consecutive cycles. Therefore, it was demonstrated that babassu mesocarp is a viable alternative for obtaining competitive biocatalysts containing lipases for industrial applications from SSF by actinobacteria, which have few reports in the literature and could be potential biocatalytic agents.