Direct fermentative production of lactic acid on cassava and other starch substrates

Lactobacillus amylovorus utilized raw corn, rice and wheat starch medium to produce lactic acid with a productivity of 10.1, 7.9 and 7.8 lactic acid/L, but had lower productivities of 4.8 g/L and 4.2 g/L on cassava and potato starch in basal medium respectively. When peptone (1%) is added to basal medium with cassava starch as substrate, conversion rate increased from 43% conversion to 70% conversion (7.7 g lactic acid/L). The availability of some components of protein in corn starch is assumed to be the reason for high lactic acid production as compared to that of cassava starch.