Life cycle assessment of β-Galactosidase enzyme production

Many consumers are unable to enjoy the benefits of milk due to intolerance or even allergy to lactose. This inability to digest lactose is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme β-Galactosidase in the digestive tract, which performs the hydrolysis of lactose to form glucose and galactose, two sugars which are easily absorbed into the bloodstream. This study reports the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) outcomes of the β-Galactosidase production in an industrial -scale facility from a cradle-to-gate perspective. Among the different alternatives of the production process of the β-Galactosidase enzyme, the use of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast expressing the lacA gene of Aspergillus niger was considered due to its higher production yield in comparison with wild strains. The primary source of environmental impact is the downstream processing related subsystem, specially attributed to the separation, concentration and purification of the enzyme as well as Cleaning-in-Place activities, required to maintain aseptic and sterile operational conditions. The use of alternative chemicals to the conventional ones in this latter stage could imply environmental improvements of the production process.