A Facile Transgalactosylation catalyzed by a Lipid-Coated β-D-Galactosidase in the Water-Organic Two Phases

A lipid-coated β-D-galactosidase could act as an efficient catalyst for transgalactosylation in the water-organic two phases: both the hydrophobic lipid-coated enzyme and alcohols were solubilized in isopropyl ether and mixed with an aqueous solution of lactose (a galactosyl donor). When a native β-D-galactosidase was employed for the same reaction, neither the transgalactosylation nor the hydrolysis reaction proceeded due to the deactivation of the enzyme at the interface.