Extraction and biochemical properties of a new lipase from the hepatopancreas of Pacific white shrimp were studied. Recovery of the hepatopancreas powder with 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.0 containing 0.2% (v/v) Brij35 gave a higher recovery of lipase activity than other extractants tested (p < 0.05). The optimal pH and temperature for lipase activity were 8.5 and 60°C, respectively, when p-nitrophenyl palmitate was used as a substrate. The enzyme was stable to heat treatment up to 40°C and over a pH range of 7.0-10.0 for 30-120 min. Lipase activities continuously decreased as the sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) concentration increased, but activities increased as NaCl concentration increased up to 3.0 M. Hydrolytic activity was enhanced by NaN 3 , but strongly inhibited by Hg 2+ , Cu 2+ , Al 3+ , and phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride. The lipase was evaluated as highly stable against surfactants (Tween 20, Tween 80, Triton X-100, and gum arabic). However, the enzyme was unstable against sodium dodecyl sulphate. Stability of the lipase with commercial liquid and solid detergents (Attack ® , Bres ® , Omo ® , and Pao ®) was also investigated. The lipase exhibited substantial stability and compatibility with tested commercial liquid and solid laundry detergents for 30-60 min. The overall properties of the lipase from Pacific white shrimp hepatopancreas, thus leading us to propose that it is an excellent candidate for use as biocatalysts for better detergent formulation.