Pig pancreatic carboxylester lipase (cholesterol esterase, CEL) was found to readily synthesize fatty acid alcohol esters from fatty acid or triacylglycerols in aqueous medium. The fatty acid alcohol ester synthesizing activity of GEL was 10 times that of pancreatic lipase. When GEL was incubated with trioleoylglycerol and simple aliphatic alcohols, fatty acid alcohol ester synthesis occurred. Optimum alcohol concentration for alcohol ester formation decreased with increase in carbon chain

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... h of aliphatic alcohols. pH optima were 5.5 for ester formation and pH8.0 for the hydrolysis of trioleoylglycerol. During incubation of enzyme with fatty acid and retinol, fatty acid retinyl ester formation took place in enzyme concentration dependent manner. The enzyme also synthesized diacylglycerol from fatty acid and monoacylglycerol.