Showa Denko K.k.

Norio Moriya

Masahiro Suzuki

Nobuaki Sakai

Keijitsu Tanaka

Michihiro Takama

Kazunori Sakimoto

Tatsuya Mizukoshi

Yukie Goto

A microorganism belonging to the genus Pseudomonas; an alkaline lipase produced by the microorganism or its mutants; a method of producing the alkaline lipase; and detergents containing the alkaline lipase as an aid, the alkaline lipase having (1) an operative pH of from 4 to 11.5, and an optimum pH of from 7.0 to 9.5, as measured using triolein emulsion as a substrate; (2) an operative temperature of from 10.degree. to 80.degree. C., and an optimum temperature of from 55.degree. to 65.degree. C., as measured using triolein emulsion as a substrate; (3) a molecular weight of 28,000 .+-.2,000 as measured by electrophoresis using SDS polyacrylamide; (4) isoelectric point of 4.5 .+-.1.5 as measured by isoelectric focusing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; and (5) an inhibition of lipase activity by a detergent component of not higher than 50% as measured using sodium linear-alkylbenzenesulfonate as said detergent component. The alkaline lipase has an improved stability against detergent components such as a surfactant and a protease, and can be blended with a detergent together with a protease. The alkaline lipase is less susceptible to inhibition of lipase activity by a detergent component and can increase washing power of detergents.

Alkaline lipase, method for producing the same, microorganism producing

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Tokyo, Japan

Norio Moriya