In the present paper, the effect of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) inclusion complexation on the solubility and enzymatic hydrolysis of naringin was investigated. The inclusion complex of naringin/beta-CD at the molar ratio of 1: 1 was obtained by the dropping method and was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry. The solubility of naringin complexes in water at 37 +/- 0.1 degrees C was 15 times greater than that of free naringin. Snailase-involved hydrolysis conditions were tested for the bioconversion of naringin into naringenin using the univariate experimental design. Naringin can be transformed into naringenin by snailase-involved hydrolysis. The optimum conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis were determined as follows: pH 5.0, temperature 37 degrees C, ratio of snailase/substrate 0.8, substrate concentration 20 mg.mL(-1), and reaction time 12 h. Under the optimum conditions, the transforming rate of naringenin from naringin for inclusion complexes and free naringin was 98.7% and 56.2% respectively, suggesting that beta-CD complexation can improve the aqueous solubility and consequently the enzymatic hydrolysis rate of naringin.