Biotechnological Production of Lactic Acid and Its Recent Applications

TLDR

Lactic acid, a versatile compound used in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and as a monomer for biodegradable poly(lactic acid), is increasingly produced via biotechnological fermentation rather than chemical synthesis due to environmental concerns and limited petrochemical feedstocks, with ongoing efforts to efficiently generate it from inexpensive raw materials. This review surveys lactic acid‑producing microorganisms, raw materials, fermentation strategies, and applications, emphasizing recent studies and discussing future potentials and economic impacts. The authors conduct a comprehensive review of lactic acid‑producing microorganisms, raw material sources, fermentation methods, and applications, concentrating on recent investigations.

Abstract

Summary Lactic acid is widely used in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries and has received increased attention for use as a monomer for the production of biodegradable poly(lactic acid). It can be produced by either biotechnological fermentation or chemical synthesis, but the former route has received considerable interest recently, due to environmental concerns and the limited nature of petrochemical feedstocks. There have been various attempts to produce lactic acid efficiently from inexpensive raw materials. We present a review of lactic acid-producing microorganisms, raw materials for lactic acid production, fermentation approaches for lactic acid production, and various applications of lactic acid, with a particular focus on recent investigations. In addition, the future potentials and economic impacts of lactic acid are discussed.