A new kinetic model proposed for enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose by a β-galactosidase from Kluyveromyces fragilis

We study the enzymatic hydrolysis of lactose by a commercial enzyme from a selected strain of Kluyveromyces fragilis. The variables analyzed were: temperature (25-40degreesC), enzyme concentration (0.1-3.0 g l(-1)), lactose concentration (0.0278-0.208 M), and initial galactose concentration (0.0347 M). On the basis of the data analyzed, both published and in the present work, we propose a Michaelis-Menten kinetic model with inhibition by the product (galactose), which reveals that the substrate (lactose) and the product (galactose) present similar affinity for the active site of the enzyme. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.