MICROENCAPSULATION OF B-GALACTOSIDASE BY A SPRAY-DRYING PROCESS

摘要

Immobilized and microencapsulated enzymes are often more stable and have potential applications that range from food industry to biotechnology and medicine. This study will focus on the enzyme β-galactosidase, due to its importance in health and industry. It is known that a large percentage of the world population suffers from lactose intolerance caused by the lack of β-galactosidase activity. Moreover, this enzyme hydrolyses lactose found in the cheese whey, allowing the recovery of glucose and galactose, which is important in food industry. The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility of producing microcapsules containing β-galactosidase, using chitosan as the encapsulating agent, due to the known advantages of this natural polymer (non-toxic, biocompatibility, biodegradability, anticholesterolemic).