Commercially available lysozyme samples that have different lot numbers (E02Z04 and E05802) were crystallized on fatty acid thin films. The orientation of lysozyme crystals nucleated on the films was investigated by atomic force microscopy and optical microscopy. The numbers of lysozyme crystals with specific planes parallel to the films are different. In other words, the impurities contained in commercial lysozyme significantly affect the orientation of lysozyme crystals. Detailed analysis of the orientation distribution of the lysozyme crystals nucleated from the purified sample showed that acetic acid is one of the substances promote the epitaxy. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.