SCREENING OF NOVEL SUBSTRATES FOR LACTIC ACID PRODUCTION BY RHIZOPUS ORYZAE

Life Science-Microbiology

Abstract

Lactic acid is a product that finds several applications in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. The main objective of this work was the development of a bioprocess to produce lactic acid using dry grass, coconut husk, sugarcane waste and wood chips as substrate. Among the fungal strains, Rhizopus species was selected for fermentation, due to its potential for the production of biodegradable and biocompatible polylactate polymers. Fermentation was conducted without need for supplementary other minerals. Lactic acid can be produced from renewable materials using various fungal species of the Rhizopus genus, as it demands low nutrient requirements, easy and fast growth and valuable fermentation by-product—fungal biomass. The objective of the experiment is to select a suitable cheap, economic, easily available substrate for production of lactic acid in crystal form by examining its % acid production and xylose utilization on per day basis of fermentation.