The kinetics of konjac powder hydrolysis by beta -mannanase from Bacillus licheniformis was studied for the production of manno-oligosaccharides, a bifidobacteria factor. It is assumed that, during the whole reaction, the substrate has an average degree of polymerization with which the apparent kinetic constants, K-m and k(+2), vary and the concentration of substrate remains unchanged. Based on the above assumptions, a set of simple expressions is proposed to correlate the initial concentration of substrate, enzyme concentration, degree of hydrolysis and reaction time. The results predicted are in good agreement with the experimental data.