DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Screening and characterization of β-galactosidase activity

in lactic acid bacteria for the valorization of acid whey
Petar Kolev, Israel Garcia-Cano, Joana Ortega-Anaya, and Rafael Jimenez-Flores
Introduction Method Results 18 of the 24 strains selected
β-galactosidase is an enzyme Bioinformatic analysis β-galactosidase Activity
displayed a positive result to the
that hydrolyzes lactose into
X-gal test. 83.33% of these strains
glucose and galactose1. exhibited higher β-galactosidase
Research has shown that activity when cultured in AW as
lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can Inoculation opposed to MRS.
produce the enzyme in
lactose-rich environments2.
Acid whey (AW) is a lactose- AW MRS
rich byproduct of cottage Lactose-rich No lactose
cheese (CC) production and
Streaking on X-Gal plates
is largely wasted, which
causes eutrophication in
aquatic ecosystems3. Positive result OSU-PECh-4A OSU-PECh-16

Separation of media and extraction of proteins Conclusion

AW
Objective
To screen the β-galactosidase
activity of multiple species and
AW
strains of LAB following
inoculation of AW to find strains
that have notably high activity, Analysis of β-galactosidase activity in proteins
so they can be utilized in the
future to produce the enzyme
Residual lactose Indicates
significant LAB showed higher specific β-galactosidase
difference from
initial AW activity when cultured in AW as opposed to
MRS
Proteins MRS, showing that high lactose environments
promote the production of the enzyme.
Lactobacillus helveticus OSU-PECh-4A has
Analysis of residual lactose in AW
been identified as a strain with exceptional
β-galactosidase activity. In future experiments,
%L
qPCR will be utilized to observe the expression
of the β-galactosidase genes to better
understand the production mechanism.
Bibliography
Acknowledgement :
Specific This work was funded by the Parker Endowment
Juers DH, Matthews BW, & Huber RE. 2012. LacZβ-galactosidase: Structure and function of an enzyme of
1

P Activity historical and molecular biological importance. Protein Science, 21, 1792- 1807.
Vasiljevic T & Jelen P. 2001. Production of β-galactosidase for lactose hydrolysis in milk and dairy products
(Department of Food Science and Technology,
from AW on an industrial scale.
2

using thermophilic lactic acid bacteria. Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, 2, 75-85’
Bentahar, J., Doyen, A., Beaulieu, L., & Deschênesa, J. (2019). Acid whey permeate: An alternative growth
The Ohio State University, Columbus)
3

medium for microalgae Tetradesmus obliquus and production of β-galactosidase. Algal Research, 41.

Department of Food Science and Technology, 2015 Fyffe Ct Columbus, OH 43210

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