β-Galactosidase: From its source and applications to its recombinant form

Abstract

Carbohydrate-active enzymes are a group of important enzymes playing a critical role in the degradation and synthesis of carbohydrates. Glycosidases can hydrolyze glycosides into oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and glycoconjugates via a cost-effective approach. Lactase is an important member of β-glycosidases found in higher plants, animals, and microorganisms. β-Galactosidases can be used to degrade the milk lactose for making lactose-free milk, which is sweeter than regular milk and is suitable for lactose-intolerant people. β-Galactosidase is employed by many food industries to degrade lactose and improve the digestibility, sweetness, solubility, and flavor of dairy products. β-Galactosidase enzymes have various families and are applied in the food-processing industries such as hydrolyzed-milk products, whey, and galactooligosaccharides. Thus, this enzyme is a valuable protein which is now produced by recombinant technology. In this review, origins, structure, recombinant production, and critical modifications of β-galactosidase for improving the production process are discussed. Since β-galactosidase is a valuable enzyme in industry and health care, a study of its various aspects is important in industrial biotechnology and applied biochemistry.

Keywords: enzyme; lactose; recombinant protein.