Techniques to measure lipase and esterase activity in vitro

Lipases and esterases constitute a large category of enzymes. They are ubiquitous in nature, found in bacteria, fungi, and animals. The family members address a wide variety of structurally diverse substrates. Appropriately, a large number of assays have been developed to analyze their activity in vitro. Here, we present an overview of these enzymes, along with protocols for common assays performed in solution. An emphasis is placed on assays for enzymes that can hydrolyze triacylglycerols.