STABILIZATION OF THE ACTIVITY OF β-GALACTOSIDASE IN PERMEABILIZED IMMOBILIZED CELLS FOR HYDROLYSIS OF LACTOSE IN MILK

A potentially low cost β‐galactosidase was prepared as a crude permeabil‐ized cell mass of the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis that had been grown in ultrafiltered cheese whey. The enzyme preparation was immobilized in alginate beads. Milk lactose hydrolysis rates were 25% higher in manganese alginate beads than in calcium alginate beads. The immobilized biocatalyst lost activity when stored in calcium chloride solution, however, storage in 5 mM DTT or 50% glycerol allowed the biocatalyst to be recycled at least 5 times without any loss of activity.