The invention relates to a variant polypeptide having lactase activity. The invention also relates to a nucleic acid sequence encoding such a variant polypeptide, to a nucleic acid construct comprising said nucleic acid sequence, to a recombinant expression vector comprising said nucleic acid construct and to a recombinant host cell comprising said expression vector. Further, the invention relates to a method for producing a lactase variant via use of such a host cell. Also, the invention relates to a method of producing a lactase polypeptide variant. The invention further relates to a composition comprising a lactase variant, to use of such a lactase variant or to the use of a lactase variant-containing composition in the preparation of a dairy product, to a process for the production of a dairy product and to the resulting dairy product.

The invention relates to a variant polypeptide having lactase activity. The invention also relates to a nucleic acid sequence encoding such a variant polypeptide, to a nucleic acid construct comprising said nucleic acid sequence, to a recombinant expression vector comprising said nucleic acid construct and to a recombinant host cell comprising said expression vector. Further, the invention relates to a method for producing a lactase variant via use of such a host cell. Also, the invention relates to a method of producing a lactase polypeptide variant. The invention further relates to a composition comprising a lactase variant, to use of such a lactase variant or to the use of a lactase variant-containing composition in the preparation of a dairy product, to a process for the production of a dairy product and to the resulting dairy product.

The invention relates to a variant polypeptide having lactase activity. The invention also relates to a nucleic acid sequence encoding such a variant polypeptide, to a nucleic acid construct comprising said nucleic acid sequence, to a recombinant expression vector comprising said nucleic acid construct and to a recombinant host cell comprising said expression vector. Further, the invention relates to a method for producing a lactase variant via use of such a host cell. Also, the invention relates to a method of producing a lactase polypeptide variant. The invention further relates to a composition comprising a lactase variant, to use of such a lactase variant or to the use of a lactase variant-containing composition in the preparation of a dairy product, to a process for the production of a dairy product and to the resulting dairy product.

The present invention relates to the use of a known enzyme denominated as a Starmerella bombicola lactone esterase (Sble) to perform a transesterification and/or hydrolysis reaction. More specifically the Sble enzyme performs a transesterification and/or hydrolysis reaction on bola amphiphilic glycolipids. The invention indeed discloses that said Sble is capable to convert bola sophorolipids into lactonic and/or acidic sophorolipids and saccharides, and, that yeast strains containing a non-functional or dysfunctional Sble enzyme and/or a disabled sble gene and/or not containing the sble gene produce (acetylated) bola amphiphilic glycolipids. In addition, the invention further discloses a method to produce non-acetylated (bola) amphiphilic glycolipids via rendering acetyltransferase enzymes At1, At2 and At3 non-functional or dysfunctional in the latter yeast strains and/or by modifying strains so that they do not contain the acetyltransferase t1, t2 and t3 gene(s) and/or by strains not containing the t1, t2 and t3 gene(s). Moreover, upon rendering the glucosyltransferase B (UgtB1) non-functional or dysfunctional in the abovementioned strains and/or upon removing and/or disabling the ugtB1 gene and/or by strains not containing the ugtB1 gene these produce acetylated and/or non-acetylated bola amphiphilic glucolipids. The invention further discloses a method to produce non-acetylated glycolipids via rendering acetyltransferase enzymes At1, At2 and/or At3 non-functional or dysfunctional and/or removing and/or disabling the glycolipid acetyltransferase genes in glycolipid producing yeast strains and/or by strains not containing the t1, t2 and t3 gene(s).