A series of mutations was carried out with Aspergillus niger NCIM-616 as the parent strain. A mutant strain NG-4 with 28% increased beta-galactosidase productivity was produced with N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NTG) at 1500 micrograms ml-1 concentration and exposure time of 60 min. This mutant yielded a third generation u.v.-treated strain, UV-5 with a 117.6% increase in beta-galactosidase productivity with respect to the parent strain.