DIRECT FERMENTATION OF STARCH TO LACTIC-ACID BY LACTOBACILLUS-AMYLOVORUS

Fermentation production of lactic acid directly from starch was studied in a batch fermentor using Lactobacillus amylovorus. At an initial concentration of 120 g/L starch, 96.2 g/L of lactic acid was produced from liquefied starch in 20 hours while 92.5 g/L of lactate was produced from the raw starch in 39 hours. High initial glucose levels (100 g/L) in the medium inhibited the organism, unless it had been adapted by growing it in a low-glucose medium. The direct production of lactic acid from starch could reduce overall production costs significantly.