Statistical Modeling of <em>β</em>-Galactosidase Production from Novel Yeast Isolate Using Cheese Whey

Abstract

Whey, a liquid component remaining after milk fat and casein have been separated from whole milk, is one of the major disposal problems of the dairy industries. To overcome this problem, biotechnologically a better alternative is subjecting the whey to processes through which the value added products can be formed. In the present investigation, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was applied to optimize the different process parameters for <em>β</em>-galactosidase production from whey based medium using novel yeast isolate. The concentration of yeast extract, urea, pH, incubation time and temperature has shown significant effect on the production of the <em>β</em>-galactosidase. The maximum enzyme activity of 1.73 IU/ mg dry weight was observed under the optimized fermentation conditions. Thus, the processing of whey into useful products not only results in reduction of environmental pollution but also helps in the preparation of valuable products in a very cost effective manner.