HYDROLYSIS OF PLANT BIOMASS USING GALACTOLIPASE FROM Burkholderia lata LBBIO BL02

• Grant number: 25/04215-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 30, 2025
• End date: July 29, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Enzymology
• Principal Investigator: Valéria Marta Gomes de Lima
• Grantee: Artur Afonso Cavallante Melaré
• Supervisor: Gloria Fernandez Lorente
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências e Letras (FCL-ASSIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Assis. Assis , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/15556-9 - Hydrolysis of Plant Biomass Using Galactolipase from Burkholderia lata LBBIO BL02, BP.IC

Abstract

Galactolipids are the most abundant class of lipids on the Earth's surface and play a crucial role in fatty acid storage. Although these lipids exhibit relevant biological responses, such as lipid profile regulation, antioxidant activity, and cardiovascular system modulation, challenges remain regarding their utilization. One of the main obstacles is the lack of efficient methods to recover their fatty acids from plant substrates, making the development of an enzyme with this capability a major research goal. However, current biochemical knowledge about galactolipases is limited, restricting the biotechnological application of this class of lipids. Although the presence of this enzyme in plants is known, its levels are generally low, and purification from natural sources is complex. In this context, obtaining this enzyme from microbiological sources with high yield and easy extraction would be highly beneficial, providing pure lipids of great nutritional and medicinal value. The present project will carry out the characterization of the galactolipase produced by Burkhodelia lata using High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) to determine the best application conditions for the enzyme. Additionally, it will be possible to determine the products obtained from its application in plant biomasses. At the end of the project, it is expected to be able to characterize the enzyme produced by Burkhodelia lata as a 'galactolipase'." (AU)