The biocatalytic activity of bromelain in ester synthesis reaction: difference between the intrinsic lipase activity and thermal catalysis

Biocatalytic activities of bromelain preparations were carried out in proteolytic (4500 units g(-1)), lipolytic (67 units g(-1)) and, more particularly, in fatty acid ester synthetic reactions. The ester synthesis reactions were studied and several thermodynamic parameters and non-biological reference reactions were also investigated. Only temperature had a strong influence on the maximum reaction yield (30% after 10 days) and revealed that thermal catalysis, which exists in esterification, raises doubts concerning the real biocatalytic activity of the plant extract. When this thermal catalysis is taken into account, the intrinsic lipase activity of the bromelain preparations in esterification reactions is nil.