Lactases

Lactases are another term for β-galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23), enzymes that split lactose into glucose and galactose. They are central to dairy processing: added to milk they produce lactose-free or lactose-reduced products for intolerant consumers, yielding a slightly sweeter taste (glucose and galactose taste sweeter than lactose); and they drive whey utilisation, converting whey lactose into sweet lactose-hydrolysed syrups for foods and feeds. Enzyme activity depends strongly on pH and temperature (fungal lactases prefer acidic pH, yeast/ bacterial ones near-neutral), so dosing, reaction time and process conditions must be controlled, and residual enzyme inactivated where required.