Used in the food industry to hydrolyze lactose in milk and dairy products, making them suitable for lactose-intolerant individuals. Enables production of lactose-free milk, yogurt, and ice cream by breaking down lactose into glucose and galactose. Also applied in the synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides, which serve as prebiotics in functional foods and infant formulas. In biotechnology, it acts as a reporter enzyme in gene expression studies and is utilized in molecular biology assays for detection and quantification of gene activity. Stable under food processing conditions, making it ideal for industrial-scale applications.