Soil quality determination requires the analysis of a number of soil attributes using different approaches. In recent years, one of the most promising approaches has been the determination of enzymatic activities. Generally, only a few enzymes have been analysed and related with other parameters, such as total carbon, nitrogenous content or microbial biomass carbon. The aim of this work was to investigate the possible use of the API ZYM strip, a semi-quantitative miniaturised system that determines 19 enzymatic activities, to study soil quality. To this end, we tested the system in different soil types, including albicArenosols, mollicLeptosols, rendzicLeptosols, haplicLeptosols, and calcaricRegosols. Fresh samples were sifted in a 2-mm sieve in the field and soil extracts were prepared by mixing 2-20 g (depending on the soil horizon characteristics) from each sample with 2-20 ml of sterile water. Next 65 μl aliquots of the supernatant extract were placed into each API ZYM microtube and were incubated at 37ºC for 16 h. Our results show significant qualitative and quantitative differences among the different soil types studied, with soil characteristics and biological properties correlating with biochemical parameters. The results provide useful information to not only assess soil quality, but also to determine soil degradation. As a whole, our results suggest that the use of the API ZYM system could prove most useful in different soil environmental studies. Finally, some suggestions are presented such as modifications to the system which could improve its application in this field.