Isolation and Characterization of a Novel <i>Microbacterium takaoensis</i> Lipase for Nutritional and Textural Improvement of Pizza Dough

ABSTRACT Lipases are industrially important enzymes with broad applications in food processing, particularly in enhancing dough quality. In the current work, a lipase‐producing strain was collected from oil‐contaminated soil and recognized as Microbacterium takaoensis through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Optimal lipase production was achieved under submerged fermentation using olive oil (2.0%) as the carbon and yeast extract (0.5%) as the nitrogen source at pH 7.0. The purification of lipase was carried out by ammonium sulfate precipitation along with size exclusion chromatography. Molecular weight by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) analysis demonstrated the weight of lipase for approximately 40 kDa. Biochemical characterization showed that the lipase exhibited optimal activity at 37°C and pH 7.0 and was significantly enhanced by Zn 2+ , Fe 2+ , and Cd 2+ . Functional application studies of the purified lipase in pizza dough show improved nutritional content, increased protein and lipid levels, and reduced fiber content. Textural analysis revealed enhanced softness and elasticity, whereas scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging confirmed improved microstructural uniformity in treated dough. These findings suggest that M. takaoensis derived lipase holds strong potential for clean‐label applications in functional food development.