Production of lactose-hydrolyzed milk using ethanol permeabilized yeast cells

To overcome the problem of enzyme extraction and poor permeability of cell membrane to lactose, experimentation was carried to permeabilize Kluyveromyces marxianus NCIM 3465 cells for their subsequent use for the production of lactose-hydrolyzed milk. Different process parameters, such as biomass load, temperature, agitation and treatment time, were optimized for maximum lactose hydrolysis in skim milk using these cells. The ethanol-permeabilized yeast cells gave 89% hydrolysis of milk lactose under optimized conditions.