CHEESE WHEY PROTEIN MICROCAPSULE FORMULATION WITH LACTOSE HYDROLYSIS POTENTIAL

Cheese whey, considered a co-product of dairy products, has been used for various purposes through biotechnological processes, for example in the production of whey protein, and is currently used as a cultivation medium to produce products with high added-value, such as the enzyme beta-galactosidase. Beta-galactosidase is the enzyme responsible for breaking down lactose, which causes discomfort to intolerant individuals. Aiming at this portion of the population, the objective of this work was to obtain a microcapsule containing the enzyme beta-galactosidase and whey proteins with lactose hydrolysis potential. For the experiment, the Box Behnken statistical design was used, with the independent variables Enzyme% (v/v), Protein% (w/v) and Number of microcapsules, totaling 9 formulations and 12 runs. For the manufacture of microcapsules, the enzyme values MAXILACT LX5000 and protein followed the experimental design and the sodium alginate value was fixed by 2% (w/v). The components were diluted with distilled water. The formulations were dripped into a 0.4% (w/v) calcium chloride solution, diluted in distilled water and stirred on a magnetic stirrer, matured in this solution for 5 minutes, washed, counted and distributed in 12 erlens containing a 5% (w/v) lactose solution, diluted in potassium phosphate buffer pH 6.8, following the design. The flasks were incubated at 37 ° C, at 120 rpm for 4 hours, after which time the samples were inactivated and lactose was measured by the methylamine dosing method. Run 7 had the best result reaching 92.8% lactose hydrolysis with the formulation of 0.5% enzyme, 5% protein and 20 microcapsules.