OBTAINING LACTIC ACID FROM THE FERMENTATION OF RESIDUAL SUGAR CANE, CORN, AND CASSAVA

Abstract

In this research, lactic acid (LA) was obtained by fermentation from three agricultural residues: cassava husk
(CH), corn forage (CF), and sugarcane bagasse (SB). The content of moisture, ash, protein, fat, hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin for each residue were determined. Then, two chemical pretreatments were applied to CH, CF, and SB: alkaline with 3 % (v.v-1) NaOH, and acid with 8 % (v.v-1) H2SO4. Total reducing sugars (TRS) were determined through the Miller technique (DNS) to select the pretreatment conditions that offered a higher yield in terms of sugar production. Lactic acid fermentation was carried out for 72 hours at 37°C and the amount of lactic acid obtained was determined through HPLC. The highest concentration of ART in acid (8611.90 mg/L) and alkaline hydrolysis was for BC (5526.87 mg/L), respectively. Agricultural residues are a potential resource for the production of biobased products, which currently use raw materials of fossil origin.