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Detoxification of Sap from Felled Oil Palm Trunks for the Efficient Production of Lactic Acid

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Abstract

The availability of fermentable sugars in high concentrations in the sap of felled oil palm trunks and the thermophilic nature of the recently isolated Bacillus coagulans strain 191 were exploited for lactic acid production under non-sterile conditions. Screening indicated that strain 191 was active toward most sugars including sucrose, which is a major component of sap. Strain 191 catalyzed a moderate conversion of sap sugars to lactic acid (53%) with a productivity of 1.56 g/L/h. Pretreatment of oil palm sap (OPS) using alkaline precipitation improved the sugar fermentability, providing a lactic acid yield of 92% and productivity of 2.64 g/L/h. To better characterize potential inhibitors in the sap, phenolic, organic, and mineral compounds were analyzed using non-treated sap and saps treated with activated charcoal and alkaline precipitation. Phthalic acid, 3,4-dimethoxybenzoic acid, aconitic acid, syringic acid, and ferulic acid were reduced in the sap after treatment. High concentrations of Mg, P, K, and Ca were also precipitated by the alkaline treatment. These results suggest that elimination of excess phenolic and mineral compounds in OPS can improve the fermentation yield. OPS, a non-food resource that is readily available in bulk quantities from plantation sites, is a promising source for lactic acid production.

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Acknowledgements

B. Kunasundari acknowledges the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) Fellowship for their financial support.

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Author notes

  1. Balakrishnan Kunasundari and Takamitsu Arai contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), P.O. Box 77, D/A Pejabat Pos Besar, 01000, Kangar, Perlis, Malaysia

    Balakrishnan Kunasundari

  2. Biological Resources and Post-harvest Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), 1-1 Ohwashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 303-8686, Japan

    Balakrishnan Kunasundari, Takamitsu Arai & Akihiko Kosugi

  3. School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia

    Kumar Sudesh

  4. Division of Bioresource, Paper and Coatings Technology, School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia

    Rokiah Hashim, Othman Sulaiman & Natra Joseph Stalin

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  1. Balakrishnan Kunasundari
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  2. Takamitsu Arai
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Correspondence to Akihiko Kosugi.

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Highlights

• Pretreatment of oil palm sap for efficient lactic acid production.

• Alkaline pretreatment was effective in removing fermentation inhibitors from sap.

• A lactic acid yield of 92% was obtained from alkaline-pretreated sap.

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Kunasundari, B., Arai, T., Sudesh, K. et al. Detoxification of Sap from Felled Oil Palm Trunks for the Efficient Production of Lactic Acid. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 183, 412–425 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-017-2454-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-017-2454-z

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