Utilization of Molasses to Produce Lactic Acid by Using Lactobacillus Delbrueckii and Lactobacillus Plantarum

Abstract

Molasses is the final liquid from the process of crystallization of sucrose in a sugar factory. In general this liquid is only disposed to the surrounding environment or used as a fertilizer mixture. However, this fluid still contains glucose that can be fermented into lactic acid. Lactic acid is a water-soluble compound commonly used in food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Through the polymerization process, lactic acid changes into polylactic acid (PLA) which is a biodegradable plastic. In general, PLA is made from corn. If PLA can be synthesized from molasses, it can reduce the use of corn as a raw material for making PLA and reduce waste in the sugar industry. This study aims to determine the optimal conditions of lactic acid fermentation by using sugarcane drops from Tulung Agung as a source of glucose and its purification so that it can obtain high levels of lactic acid. The results showed that fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum could produce more lactic acid with faster fermentation time than the fermentation using Lactobacillus delbrucckii with a concentration of lactic acid 19.68 g/L.