At fixed concentration (0.5%), lactose and galactose acted as inducers while glucose and other tested carbon sugars showed repression effects on beta-galactosidase production in Enterobacter aerogenes strain. The expression of Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene (vgb) in this bacterial strain managed to overcome the repression effects as well as improving the induction of beta-galactosidase formation by carbon sources. In parallel, the bacterial O(2) consumption was increased correspondingly to the vgb induction of beta-galactosidase synthesis. When Enterobacter aerogenes strains were grown at the incubation temperature 42 degrees C, about 5-fold higher enzyme productivity was obtained than with a similar incubation at 37 degrees C. The bacterial growth expressed as biomass yield had a different optimum temperature and was not influenced to the same extent by variations in the carbon sources. These data are discussed in terms of proposed enhancement in beta-galactosidase productivity by vgb expression as well as its significance to improve the technology of whey processing.