Evaluation of Agro-Industrial Carbon and Energy Sources for <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> M8 Growth

Abstract

Lactic acid is a compound used industrially due to its properties. There are two methods for its production: chemical synthesis and microbial fermentation. In microbial fermentation, food industry waste can be used as a substrate, providing a route towards achieving a circular economy. Thus, this study evaluated different substrates for Lactobacillus plantarum growth, a lactic acid producer, such as molasses, whey, glucose, and saccharose, either alone or supplemented with additional nutrients. Bacterial growth parameters were assessed using OD620 measurement. It was shown that whey supplemented with yeast extract supported the best growth, allowing a μmax = 0.63 h−1.

Keywords

• lactic acid
• fermentation
• <i>Lactobacillus</i>
• whey
• molasses