In a lipase assay using olive oil emulsion, what change indicates lipase activity?

In a lipase assay using olive oil emulsion, what change indicates lipase activity?

• A. Increase in turbidity
• B. Decrease in turbidity
• C. No change in turbidity
• D. Color change to yellow

Answer: (B)

Lipase breaks down the oil droplets in the olive oil emulsion, turning triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol. This hydrolysis destabilizes and disrupts the emulsion, reducing the number of light-scattering oil droplets in suspension. With fewer droplets scattering light, the solution becomes clearer, so turbidity decreases. An increase in turbidity would imply more or larger droplets, which isn’t how lipase acts in this setup, and no change would suggest little or no lipase activity. A color change to yellow isn’t the turbidity readout for this assay.

Lipase breaks down the oil droplets in the olive oil emulsion, turning triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol. This hydrolysis destabilizes and disrupts the emulsion, reducing the number of light-scattering oil droplets in suspension. With fewer droplets scattering light, the solution becomes clearer, so turbidity decreases. An increase in turbidity would imply more or larger droplets, which isn’t how lipase acts in this setup, and no change would suggest little or no lipase activity. A color change to yellow isn’t the turbidity readout for this assay.