Fermentation of whey to produce propionic acid
AssigneeStauffer Chemical Company
InventorsWilliam P. Ahern, Dale F. Andrist, Lawrence E. Skogerson
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Abstract
A process for manufacture of fermented whey having a high concentration of divalent ion propionate is disclosed in which a whey medium having a solids content ranging from about 0.5% to about 18% by weight is prefermented with a galactose and glucose utilizing lactic acid producing organism, neutralized with a divalent metallic ion hydroxide and sterilized. The sterilized medium is then inoculated with a propionic acid-producing bacterium and incubated for a sufficient period of time to produce a high concentration of divalent metallic ion propionate. The divalent metallic ion is preferably calcium, and the whey medium preferably contains yeast extract.
Claims8
In a process for functionalizing whey containing from about 0.5% to about 18% by weight whey solids by sterilizing the whey and then fermenting the whey with a propionic acid-producing organism to produce propionic acid, the improvement comprising:
- (a) forming a pre-fermentation broth of whey containing from about 0.5% to about 18% by weight whey solids and yeast extract;
- and
- (b) fermenting the pre-fermentation broth with a galactose and glucose utilizing lactic acid-producing organism or mixture of galactose and glucose utilizing lactic acid-producing organisms to ferment the lactose in the whey to lactic acid;
- (c) neutralizing the fermented lactic acid containing pre-fermentaiton broth with a divalent metallic ion hydroxide;
- and
- (d) sterilizing the neutralized, fermented lactic acid containing pre-fermentation broth and fermenting the broth with a propionic acid-producing organism to produce propionic acid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.