Application of Lactase in Dairy Industry

Lactase can be defined as a protein that also acts as an enzyme and facilitates the speeding of many biological processes. These enzymes are generally created within the cells of the body if there is no genetic abnormality otherwise it may require capsules or pills for its production. These enzymes are currently being used in the dairy industry as a tool to break lactose present in milk into glucose and Galactose to make it suitable for people who are intolerant to lactose. These are simple forms of sugars that assist the digestive process as they can get digested easily in the small intestine of the human body without causing any problems to the body of those people who are lactose intolerant.

Structure of Lactase

The gene that produces this lactase in the human body is found in human babies right from birth. This gene that is formed from a chain of initial amino acids or peptides is called pre-pro-lactase. It consists of amino acids in long chains with as many as 1927 amino acids. When it evolves into its natural form, the polypeptide removes several chains to become lactase. There are four subunits consisting of the same chain having residues of 1023 amino acids each which sums up a total of 4092 amino acids. The molecule of lactase can be termed as homotetramer as it consists of 4 subunits that are identical to each other.

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance is quite among a large section of the population across the globe which has necessitated and contributed towards the growth and usage of lactase in the dairy industry across different areas of implementation. It is thus necessary to understand in this respect what lactose intolerance is. Lactose intolerance can be divided into three types in the form of primary intolerance against lactose, secondary lactose intolerance, and lactose intolerance due to congenital reasons

Primary lactose intolerance

This is the most common type of lactose intolerance and this is what is meant by a large section of people when they say that they are suffering from lactose intolerance. It is also known as hypolactasia and occurs naturally among individuals. It can be defined as the problem of the human body when it is not capable of digestion or efficient digestion of disaccharides due to the absence of the creation of appropriate levels of lactaid. 70% of all population after their childhood suffer from primary lactose intolerance. The population that is most affected by this consists of southern Europe, some regions of Africa, Asia, and Native Americans among others.

Secondary lactose intolerance

Lactose intolerance can be termed secondary when it is caused due to some kind of illness or injury that causes potential damage to the small intestine and its lining of the digestive tract. Crohn’s disease, surgery, Celiac sickness, and overgrowth of bacteria are some of the major causative reasons behind secondary lactose intolerance.

Congenital lactose intolerance

This type of lactose intolerance is extremely rare and is associated with a chromosomal disorder linked to recessive genes. The babies suffering from this disorder don’t produce any Lactaid and have difficulties in digesting lactose.

Application in the dairy industry

Lactase is an enzyme of glycoside hydrolase that breaks down lactose into its smaller components of glucose and galactose. If the production of lactase enzyme is not in sufficient amounts in the small intestine of the human body then people become intolerant to lactose which often results in gas, cramps, or diarrhoea in the tract of digestive system whenever any milk product is ingested. Lactase is being used on a commercial scale in this respect to prepare products that are free from lactose especially milk and milk products for people who are lactose intolerant. In the dairy industry, it is also being used currently for the preparation or production of ice creams that are sweeter, creamier, and tastes much better in comparison to traditional forms of ice creams that are generally available in the market. At the industrial level for being used in dairy products, it is generally prepared using fungal aspergillus and Kluyveromyces of yeast.

Lactase is beneficial in several areas and industries, one of which is the dairy industry. The application of lactase in several areas can be summarised as below

• Production of milk for people with problems of lactose intolerance as a pre digester
• Preparation of milk that is destined to be used in the production of yoghourt and cheese
• Production of lactose or whey for the preparation of hydrolysed sweeteners and whey syrups
• It is also being used in the medical industry to treat several genetic disorders

Conclusion

It has been found from this study that many individuals in the world are suffering from lactose intolerance and cannot naturally digest the lactose that is present in milk and milk products. This usually leads to cramps and pain in the stomach. This is usually due to the absence of lactase in the small intestines which is mostly present among individuals without lactose intolerance. To solve this issue, the dairy industry is coming up with the application of lactase in their dairy products.