Influence of Kluyveromyces Lactis Arranged In Suspension and Immobilized On Obtaining Lactic Acid by Cheese Whey Fermentation

Lactic acid has several applications in the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic and chemical industries, and is currently used for its transformation into polylactic acid, which is a biopolymer used to produce environmentally friendly bioplastics. So, in the present research lactic acid was obtained from the fermentation of cheese whey, that is a waste from the cheese industry that generates high environmental pollution, hence, this research seeks to give it an added value. Thus, the Kluyveromyces lactis strain was isolated from the cheese whey, which was also used for the fermentation process and the obtaining of lactic acid, using proteinized (fresh) and deproteinized cheese whey, the strains arranged in suspension and immobilized in order to determine if those conditions have an influence on the characteristics of lactic acid. It has been confirmed that the arrangement of the strain used (in free or encapsulated form), the use of untreated and deproteinized cheese whey, and the purification conditions have an influence on the characteristics and yields of the lactic acid obtained (color, density, and the presence of other functional groups in it).