Hydrolysis of whey by kluyveromyces bulgaricus cells immobilized in stabilized alginate and in chitosan beads

Kluyveromyces bulgaricus cells were immobilized in matrices resisting to complexing anions. Yeast entrapped in alginate stabilized by polyethylenimine and glutaraldehyde were unable to hydrolyse whey owing to the inactivation of β‐galactosidase by the stabilizing agents. Chitosan was resistant to whey medium but decreased the yeast hydrolyzing capacity by 15% with respect to alginate. The hydrolysis rate was found to be unchanged for 37 days at 21–25°C.