β-galactosidase, also called beta-gal or β-gal, is a hydrolase enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of β-galactosides into monosaccharides. Substrates of different β-galactosidases include ganglioside GM1, lactosylceramides, lactose, and various glycoproteins.[1] Lactase is often confused as an alternative name for β-galactosidase, but it is actually simply a sub-class of β-galactosidase.
