ABSTRACT
Triacylglycerol acylhydrolases (E.C. 3.1.1.3) that hydrolyze the ester bonds of storage triacylglycerols of seeds, such as oilseeds and cereal grains, constitute a major group of plant lipases. Further lipases occurring in diverse plant tissues include nonspecific lipid acylhydrolases exhibiting combined action of phospholipases A1 (E.C. 3.1.1.32), A2 (E.C. 3.1.1.4), B (E.C. 3.1.1.5), glycolipase, sulfolipase and monoacylglycerol lipase, and phospholipases C (E.C. 3.1.4.3) and D (E.C. 3.1.4.4). Several reviews have extensively covered the occurrence, properties, and physiological role of various lipases in plants [16]. Sources of lipases from plant tissues, techniques for their isolation and purification, as well as their properties are well documented [7,8]. This chapter will focus on the application of lipases from plants as catalysts for biotransformation of lipids.
