Used in the food industry as a sweetener and texturizer, particularly in dairy products due to its natural presence in milk. Serves as a precursor in the synthesis of galacto-oligosaccharides, which are prebiotics supporting gut health. Employed in pharmaceuticals for drug formulation and in research to study glycosylation processes and metabolic disorders like galactosemia. Also utilized in microbiological culture media as a carbon source for bacterial growth.