In this study, response surface methodology was applied to optimize process variables like temperature, pH, enzyme concentration (mg/g oil), and buffer concentration (g/g oil) for hydrolysis of castor oil using Candida rugosa lipase. A 2(4) full factorial central composite design was used to develop the quadratic model that was subsequently optimized and the optimal conditions were as follows: temperature 40 degrees C, pH 7.72, enzyme concentration 5.28 mg/g oil, buffer concentration I g/g oil and there was 65.5% conversion in 6 h. These predicted optimal conditions agreed well with the experimental results. This is the first report on the application of response surface methodology in castor oil hydrolysis using C. rugosa lipase with higher percentage conversion in 6 h. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.