Concentrated beta-galactosidase and cell permeabilization from Saccharomyces fragilis IZ 275 for beta-galactosidase activity in the hydrolysis of lactose

Abstract The cheese whey shows an organic nutrient charge that can be used to obtain metabolites of interest by biotechnology of microorganisms. Thus, fermentative processes for enzyme production, in particular beta-galactosidase becomes feasible. The enzyme plays an important role in the biotech food industry to obtain milk and dairy products with low lactose content for consumption by intolerant individuals. The objective of this work was to determine the enzyme activity of the concentrated beta-galactosidase (CBG) and the permeabilized cells (PC) both obtained from Saccharomyces fragilis IZ 275. The enzyme beta-galactosidase obtained from the fermentation of Saccharomyces fragilis IZ 275 in cheese whey was used to determine the optimal conditions for the hydrolysis of lactose solution at 1% (w/v). Response Surface Methodology (RSM) by Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was employed to determine beta-galactosidase activity for such factors pH, temperature and enzyme concentration suitable for the lactose hydrolysis. Based on the statistical analysis, the optimum operational conditions for maximizing lactose hydrolysis thus optimizing the enzyme activity for CBG were, temperature 30 °C, pH 6.0 and enzyme concentration 3% (v/v) and for PC was temperature 44 °C, pH 7.0 and enzyme concentration 4% (v/v).