Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Light-Controlled Fermentations for Microbial Chemical and Protein Production
Published on: March 22, 2022
One step open fermentation for lactic acid production from inedible starchy biomass by thermophilic Bacillus
Yujue Wang1, Weifeng Cao2, Jianquan Luo1
1State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China; University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to establish a simplified operational process for lactic acid (LA) production by Bacillus coagulans IPE22 from inedible starchy biomass with open fermentation method. First, 29.47 mU/mg specific amylase activity was detected in direct batch fermentation from soluble starch, but the activity of the produced amylase was too low for effective production of LA. Then seven batches from 72 g/L soluble starch were conducted without sterilization. It was found that one step simultaneous liquefaction, saccharification and fermentation (SLSF) with the addition of mesothermal α-amylase and glucoamylase was the optimal mode with LA concentration, yield and productivity of 68.72 g/L, 0.99 g/g and 1.72 g/L h respectively. Finally, inedible starchy biomass, cassava and sorghum flours, were proved to be alternatives to refined soluble starch. For the first time, one step open SLSF of inedible starchy biomass was reported for LA production by B. coagulans.
Related Concept Videos
Fermentation
Fermentation is a type of metabolic process that occurs in the absence of oxygen, where organic molecules such as glucose are broken down to produce energy. During this process, the...
Products of the Citric Acid Cycle
Microbial Fermentation
The Citric Acid Cycle
Rate-Determining Steps
In a multistep reaction mechanism, one of the elementary steps progresses significantly slower than the others. This slowest step is called the rate-limiting step (or rate-determining step). A reaction cannot proceed faster than its slowest step, and hence, the rate-determining step limits the overall reaction rate.
The concept of rate-determining step can be understood from the analogy of a 4-lane freeway with a short-stretch of traffic-bottleneck caused due to...
Weak Acid Solutions

