Progress in the production of fungal lipases by submerged fermentation

Enzymatic catalysis has numerous advantages over chemical catalysts such as high specificity and high catalytic efficiency. Among enzymes, lipases are considered versatile and of vast industrial application. The main source of obtaining these enzymes are microorganisms and studies that employ filamentous fungi, in general, present promising results. Thus, it is verified the need to analyze what has been discussed in recent scientific publications in order to identify the current state of research. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the recent literature through a bibliometric study, to identify trends and gaps in research in the area of fungal lipase production through submerged fermentation. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used for this purpose. The analyses showed the high versatility of fungal lipases in several industrial sectors and it was possible to conclude that recent research has been focusing on the optimization of liquid cultivation media and screening by lipase-producing fungi. Moreover, there is believed to be a research gap in the investigation of the use of whole cells of fungi to reduce the costs associated with lipase-catalyzed processes and make them competitive economically.