The study of lipase activity that produces free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol from palm oil (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), is the main focus of Prof. Mohammad Basyuni S.Hut., M.Sc., Ph.D., and his team. The main problems faced by oil palm plantation companies today are high harvest costs and low worker output. The increase in harvest costs occurs due to the increase in wages every year, resulting in a decrease in profitability for oil palm plantation companies and farmers.

Meanwhile, the low yield is due to the fact that each oil palm tree harvested is only one bunch of fresh fruit (FFB). One of the answers that can be given by plantation companies and farmers is to harvest with a higher frequency. However, this method can reduce the quality of CPO oil produced because it contains high free fatty acids (ALB).

This study analyzed the modeling of lipase gene proteins using the Phyre2 and Switzerland models. Template diversity was seen in the Switzerland model, while EgLip (uncharacterized) and OBL1 used phospholipase, EgLip2, and EgLip3 used lipase templates, and Feruloyl Esterase A templates were used for EgLip1 with varying Qmeans (0.51-0.59).

In contrast, in Phyre2, all genes are matched to the same hydrolase template with 100% confidence. Meanwhile, the transmembrane helix in Phyre2 provides two helices (S1-S2) for EgLip1 and EgLip (uncharacterized), with the N-terminal and C-terminal located in the cytoplasm. Furthermore, EgLip2 and OBL1 have an N end in the cytoplasm and a C end in the extracellular through three helices (S1 – S3). The study showed that the lipase gene provides a useful tool for studying proteins related to the quality of oil products and human health