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Journal ArticleDOI

Lactic acid properties, applications and production: a review.

TL;DR: In this article, a review describes biotechnological processes to obtain lactic acid from polymeric substrates such as starchy and lignocellulosic materials.
Abstract: Lactic acid was discovered in 1780 by C.W. Scheele in sour milk, and in 1881 Fermi obtained lactic acid by fermentation, resulting in its industrial production. The yearly world lactic acid production is expected to reach 259,000 metric tons by the year 2012. The interest in lactic acid is related to many aspects, among which is its relatively high added-value. In addition, such a chemical is GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe), being recognized as harmless by the United States Food and Drug Administration, has a market with great growth potential, can be alternatively produced by fermentation or chemical synthesis and can employ a large variety of different waste materials as substrates. Lactic acid has many applications. Its existence in the form of two stereoisomers does in fact make the application of one of them or of the racemic mixture of great concern in different fields. In particular, the food and pharmaceutical industries have a preference for the isomer l (+), the only one that can be metabolized by the human body; however, the chemical industry requires one of the pure isomers or a mixture of both, according to the application. This review describes biotechnological processes to obtain lactic acid from polymeric substrates such as starchy and lignocellulosic materials. Open challenges are related to the technological optimization of the fermentation process and product purification and recovery. In addition, the opportunities and difficulties associated with using raw materials for lactic acid production are discussed.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential of lignocellulosic biomass as an alternative platform to fossil resources has been analyzed and a critical review provides insights into the potential for LBS.

1,763 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the potential of lignocellulosic biomass as an alternative platform to fossil resources has been analyzed and a critical review provides insights into the potential for LBS.
Abstract: The demand for petroleum dependent chemicals and materials has been increasing despite the dwindling of their fossil resources. As the dead-end of petroleum based industry has started to appear, today's modern society has to implement alternative energy and valuable chemical resources immediately. Owing to the importance of lignocellulosic biomass being the most abundant and bio-renewable biomass on earth, this critical review provides insights into the potential of lignocellulosic biomass as an alternative platform to fossil resources. In this context, over 200 value-added compounds, which can be derived from lignocellulosic biomass by various treatment methods, are presented with their references. Lignocellulosic biomass based polymers and their commercial importance are also reported mainly in the frame of these compounds. This review article aims to draw the map of lignocellulosic biomass derived chemicals and their synthetic polymers, and to reveal the scope of this map in today's modern chemical and polymer industry.

1,089 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review will discuss lactic acid producers with relation to their fermentation characteristics and metabolism, and introduces inexpensive fermentative substrates, such as dairy products, food and agro-industrial wastes, glycerol, and algal biomass alternatives to costly pure sugars and food crops.

762 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a critical overview of all advances in the field of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and recognises a great potential of some of these chemocatalytic approaches to produce and transform lactic acid as well as some other promising α-hydroxy acids.
Abstract: Upcoming bio-refineries will be at the heart of the manufacture of future transportation fuels, chemicals and materials. A narrow number of platform molecules are envisioned to bridge nature's abundant polysaccharide feedstock to the production of added-value chemicals and intermediate building blocks. Such platform molecules are well-chosen to lie at the base of a large product assortment, while their formation should be straightforward from the refined biomass, practical and energy efficient, without unnecessary loss of carbon atoms. Lactic acid has been identified as one such high potential platform. Despite its established fermentation route, sustainability issues – like gypsum waste and cost factors due to multi-step purification and separation requirements – will arise as soon as the necessary orders of magnitude larger volumes are needed. Innovative production routes to lactic acid and its esters are therefore under development, converting sugars and glycerol in the presence of chemocatalysts. Moreover, catalysis is one of the fundamental routes to convert lactic acid into a range of useful chemicals in a platform approach. This contribution attempts a critical overview of all advances in the field of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis and recognises a great potential of some of these chemocatalytic approaches to produce and transform lactic acid as well as some other promising α-hydroxy acids.

627 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review summarizes major acidogenic metabolic pathways and regulating strategies for enhancing VFAs recovery during acidogenic fermentation of FW.

434 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...(Castillo Martinez et al., 2013)....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Effective parameters in pretreatment of lignocelluloses, such as crystallinity, accessible surface area, and protection by lignin and hemicellulose are described first, and several pretreatment methods are discussed and their effects on improvement in ethanol and/or biogas production are described.
Abstract: Lignocelluloses are often a major or sometimes the sole components of different waste streams from various industries, forestry, agriculture and municipalities. Hydrolysis of these materials is the first step for either digestion to biogas (methane) or fermentation to ethanol. However, enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocelluloses with no pretreatment is usually not so effective because of high stability of the materials to enzymatic or bacterial attacks. The present work is dedicated to reviewing the methods that have been studied for pretreatment of lignocellulosic wastes for conversion to ethanol or biogas. Effective parameters in pretreatment of lignocelluloses, such as crystallinity, accessible surface area, and protection by lignin and hemicellulose are described first. Then, several pretreatment methods are discussed and their effects on improvement in ethanol and/or biogas production are described. They include milling, irradiation, microwave, steam explosion, ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX), supercritical CO2 and its explosion, alkaline hydrolysis, liquid hot-water pretreatment, organosolv processes, wet oxidation, ozonolysis, dilute- and concentrated-acid hydrolyses, and biological pretreatments.

2,510 citations


"Lactic acid properties, application..." refers background in this paper

  • ...It is mainly composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin which form approximately 90% of the dry matter (Taherzadeh & Karimi, 2008)....

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OtherDOI
01 Jan 1993
TL;DR: The present taxonomy relies partly on true phylogenetic relationships, largely based on morphology, mode of glucose fermentation, growth at different temperatures, configuration of the lactic acid produced, ability to grow at high salt concentrations, and acid or alkaline tolerance.
Abstract: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) constitute a group of gram-positive bacteria united by a constellation of morphological, metabolic, and physiological characteristics The general description of the bacteria included in the group is gram-positive, nonsporing, nonrespiring cocci or rods, which produce lactic acid as the major end product during the fermentation of carbohydrates The LAB term is intimately associated with bacteria involved in food and feed fermentation, including related bacteria normally associated with the (healthy) mucosal surfaces of humans and animals The boundaries of the group have been subject to some controversy, but historically the genera Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus, and Streptococcus form the core of the group Taxonomic revisions of these genera and the description of new genera mean that LAB could, in their broad physiological definition, comprise around 20 genera However, from a practical, food-technology point of view, the following genera are considered the principal LAB: Aerococcus, Carnobacterium, Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Oenococcus, Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Tetragenococcus, Vagococcus, and Weissella The genus Bifidobacterium, often considered in the same context as the genuine lactic acid bacteria and sharing some of their typical features, is phylogenetically unrelated and has a unique mode of sugar fermentation The classification of lactic acid bacteria into different genera is largely based on morphology, mode of glucose fermentation, growth at different temperatures, configuration of the lactic acid produced, ability to grow at high salt concentrations, and acid or alkaline tolerance Chemotaxonomic markers such as fatty acid composition and constituents of the cell wall are also used in classification In addition, the present taxonomy relies partly on true phylogenetic relationships,

995 citations


"Lactic acid properties, application..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Fermentation Lactic fermentation is relatively fast, has high yields and can lead, selectively, to one of the two stereoisomers of lactic acid or to their racemic mixture (Axelsson, 2004)....

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  • ...Fermentation Lactic fermentation is relatively fast, has high yields and can lead, selectively, to one of the two stereoisomers of lactic acid or to their racemic mixture (Axelsson, 2004)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the double electrodialysis (ED) process, a specific combination of desalting ED followed by watersplitting ED with bipolar membranes, has given very promising results, showing a strong potential for an efficient and economic process for recovery and purification of lactic acid without generating a salt waste.
Abstract: Lactic acid, the most widely occurring hydroxycarboxylic acid, is an enigmatic chemical. It was discovered a long time ago and its use in food preservation and processing and as a specialty chemical has grown over the years with current production of about 120 000 t yr−1. Its potential as a major chemical feedstock, derived from renewable carbohydrates by sustainable technologies, to make plastics, fibers, solvents and oxygenated chemicals, had also been recognized. Recently, new technologies have emerged that can overcome major barriers in separations and purification and processing. Advances in electrodialysis (ED) and bipolar membranes and one particular process configuration termed the ‘double ED’ process, a specific combination of desalting ED followed by ‘water-splitting’ ED with bipolar membranes, has given very promising results, showing a strong potential for an efficient and economic process for recovery and purification of lactic acid without generating a salt waste. For the production of polymers, several advances in catalysts and process improvements have occurred in the technology to produce dilactide and its polymerization to produce plastics and fibers by Natureworks LLC, which is the leader in lactic polymer technology and markets. Other advances in esterification technology with pervaporation and development of biosolvent blends also have a high potential for ‘green’ solvents in many applications. Recently, a considerable amount of pioneering effort in technology, product development and commercialization has been expended by several companies. To overcome the barriers to replace long-established petroleum-derived products, further real support from consumer, regulatory and government organizations is also needed. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry

871 citations


"Lactic acid properties, application..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Commercial manufacturers As regards the world production of lactic acid, several authors reported the most relevant commercial manufacturers (Datta & Henry, 2006; Datta, Tsai, Bonsignore, Moon, & Frank, 1995; John, Nampoothiri, et al., 2007)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Parameters affecting the fermentative lactic acid (LA) production are summarized and discussed: microorganism, carbon- and nitrogen-source, fermentation mode, pH, and temperature.

855 citations


"Lactic acid properties, application..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…(Bustos, Alonso, & V!azquez, 2004; Y!a~nez, Moldes, Alonso, & Paraj!o, 2003), and L. helveticus (Kyl€a-Nikkil€a et al., 2000; Schepers, Thibault, & Lacroix, 2002), L. plantarum (Hofvendahl & Hahn-H€agerda, 2000; Yoshida et al., 2011) and L. pentosus (Hammes & Vogel, 1995) mixtures of both isomers....

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  • ...Such an ability is determined by the presence of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase, which possesses stereospecific NADþ-dependent activity (Hofvendahl & Hahn-H€agerda, 2000)....

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  • ...…limitation, presence of different carbon sources other than glucose, high pHor low temperature, some homofermentative microorganisms can produce formic acid by mixed acid fermentation (Hofvendahl & Hahn-H€agerda, 2000) by the action of pyruvate-formate lyase (Gao et al., 2011; Mayo et al., 2010)....

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Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 1995
TL;DR: Strains of some species can use porphorinoids from the environment and exhibit activities of catalase, nitrite reduction or even cytochromes, and Pseudo-catalase is formed in strains of Lb.
Abstract: Lactobacilli are Gram-positive, non-spore-forming, rods or coccobacilli with a G+C content of DNA usually below 50 mol%. They are strictly fermentative, aero-tolerant or anaerobic, aciduric or acidophilic and have complex nutritional requirements (e.g. for carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides, fatty acid esters, salts, nucleic acid derivatives, and vitamins). They do not synthesize porphyrinoids and thus, are devoid of heme-dependent activities. Strains of some species can use porphorinoids from the environment and exhibit activities of catalase, nitrite reduction or even cytochromes (Meisel, 1991). Pseudo-catalase is formed in strains of Lb. mali. With glucose as a carbon source lactobacilli may be either homofermentative, producing more than 85% lactic acid, or hetero-fermentative, producing lactic acid, CO2, ethanol (and/or acetic acid) in equimolar amounts. In the presence of oxygen or other oxidants increased amounts of acetate may be produced at the expense of lactate or ethanol, whereby one additional mole of ATP is gained via the acetate kinase reaction. Thus, variations in the metabolic end products may occur. Various compounds (e.g. citrate, malate, tartrate, quinolate, nitrate, nitrite, etc.) may be metabolized, and used as energy source (e.g. via building up a proton motive force) or electron acceptors.

728 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...…(Bustos, Alonso, & V!azquez, 2004; Y!a~nez, Moldes, Alonso, & Paraj!o, 2003), and L. helveticus (Kyl€a-Nikkil€a et al., 2000; Schepers, Thibault, & Lacroix, 2002), L. plantarum (Hofvendahl & Hahn-H€agerda, 2000; Yoshida et al., 2011) and L. pentosus (Hammes & Vogel, 1995) mixtures of both isomers....

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