Resume

The lactic acid production has been increasing recently due to its importance as precursor in the manufacture of biodegradable plastics such as Poly (lactic acid)(PLA). Due to concern over the cost of raw material, the use of lignocellulosic materials as carbon source for the inexpensive lactic acid production has been widely used. The sugarcane bagasse, abundantly available in Brazil, has great biotechnology potential for use as renewable carbon source for obtaining building blocks of industrial interest, such as lactic acid, via fermentation processes. In generally, the Lactobacillus species fermenting hexoses are not able to ferment xylose as carbon source.ഀ So, it is important to find Lactobacillus species able to ferment hexoses and pentoses efficiently. The aim of this study is to assess the ability of Lactobacillus pentosus ATCC 8041, previously selected, in xylose assimilate to application on the lactic acid production from sugarcane bagasse hydrolysated.