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AssigneePurac Biochem B.V.
InventorsDiana Visser, Jan Van Breugel, Johannes Martinus De Bruijn, Paul A'Campo
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The present invention is in the field of the preparation of lactic acid by means of fermentation on industrial scale wherein a concentrated raw beet juice having a Brix of at least 60 is used as fermentation substrate. After dilution to the desired initial sugar concentration and addition of nutrients, the juice is fermented to lactic acid and/or lactate by means of a lactic acid-producing microorganism. Said concentrated raw beet juice is prepared by: washing and cutting sugar beet and extracting the cossettes in water, removing the beet pulp from the resulting raw beet juice, and heat treating the raw beet juice at a temperature between 50 and 90 degrees Celsius, and concentrating the raw beet juice to at least 60 Brix. It was found that concentrated beet juice having a Brix of at least 60 is storage-stable, is not very sensitive to infections, and can be used as fermentation substrate for lactic acid production on industrial scale with the same yield, chemical purity, optical purity, clarity and taste as lactic acid obtained from fermenting white sugar.
Process for the preparation of lactic acid and/or lactate wherein a concentrated raw beet juice, beet juice which has not been submitted to lime addition to a pH of approximately 11.2 and surplus lime addition followed by carbon dioxide addition in two stages with removal of carbonation sludge/lime, having a concentration of at least 60 g sucrose per 100 gram liquid (at least a Brix of 60) is used as a substrate for the fermentation to lactic acid and/or lactate by means of a lactic acid-producing micro-organism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.