temperature and pH of the b-galactosidase produced by
K. fragilis were 30 C and 6.6 [14, 15]. The optimal temperature
and pH of the crude cold-active acid b-galactosidase
produced by G. pullulans strain R1 isolated from soil
in Hokkaido, Japan, were also 50 C and 4.0, respectively
[2]. However, the b-galactosidase produced by Bacillus
subtilis exhibited the maximal activities (1200 U mg-1
) at
65 C [16] while the optimal pH and temperature of the
b-galactosidase produced by Kluyveromyces marxianus
were 7.2 and 28 C, respectively [17]. b-galactosidase
produced by Tolulopsis versatilis M6, Tolulopsis sphaerica
J28, Candida pseudotropicalis B57 and A60 were characterized
by a pH optimum of 7.0 or 7.5 and a relatively low
optimal temperature of 30 C [18]. This means that the
optimal temperature and pH of the crude extracellular
b-galactosidase produced by G. pullulans 17-1 were the
same as those of the crude cold-active acid b-galactosidase
produced by G. pullulans strain R1. However, the optimal
temperature of the crude extracellular b-galactosidase
produced by G. pullulans 17-1 was higher than that of the
b-galactosidase produced by any other yeasts and lower
than that of the b-galactosidase produced by B. subtilis.
The