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Article

Exploring the Synthesis of Lactic Acid from Sugarcane Molasses Collected in Côte d’Ivoire Using Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 9338 in a Batch Fermentation Process

by
Asengo Gerardin Mabia
1,2,*,
Harinaivo Anderson Andrianisa
3,
Chiara Danielli
4,
Leygnima Yaya Ouattara
1,
N’da Einstein Kouadio
1,
Esaïe Kouadio Appiah Kouassi
1,
Lucia Gardossi
4 and
Kouassi Benjamin Yao
1
1
Joint Research and Innovation Unit in Agronomic Sciences and Transformation Processes (UMRI SAPT), Laboratory of Industrial Processes of Synthesis, Environment and New Energies (LAPISEN), Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Yamoussoukro BP 1093, Côte d’Ivoire
2
Department of Chemistry and Agricultural Industries, Institut Facultaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Yangambi (IFA-Yangambi), Kisangani BP 1232, Democratic Republic of the Congo
3
Laboratoire Eau, Hydro-Systèmes et Agriculture (LEHSA), International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2iE), Ouagadougou 01 BP 594, Burkina Faso
4
Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, Via L. Giogieri 1, 34127 Trieste, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Bioengineering 2025, 12(8), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12080817
Submission received: 8 July 2025 / Revised: 22 July 2025 / Accepted: 28 July 2025 / Published: 29 July 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development of Biocatalytic Processes and Green Energy Technologies)
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Abstract

Lactic acid (LA) is a high-value chemical with growing demand for the production of polymers and plastics and in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, production costs remain a significant constraint when using conventional food-grade substrates. This study investigates Ivorian sugarcane molasses, an abundant agro-industrial by-product, as a low-cost carbon source for LA production via batch fermentation with Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 9338. Molasses was pretreated by acid hydrolysis to improve fermentability, increasing glucose and fructose concentrations. Comparative fermentations using raw and pretreated molasses showed a 75% increase in LA production (32.4 ± 0.03 g/L) after pretreatment. Optimisation using Box–Behnken design revealed that the initial sugar concentration, inoculation rate, and stirring speed significantly influenced lactic acid production. Under optimal conditions, a maximum LA concentration of 52.4 ± 0.49 g/L was achieved with a yield of 0.95 g/g and productivity of 0.73 g/L·h. Kinetic analysis confirmed efficient sugar utilisation under the optimised conditions, and polarimetry revealed a near-racemic lactic acid. A simplified cost analysis showed that molasses could reduce carbon source costs by over 70% compared to refined sugars, supporting its economic viability. This work demonstrates the potential of pretreated molasses under robust fermentation conditions as a sustainable and cost-effective substrate for LA production in resource-limited contexts. The approach aligns with circular bioeconomy principles and presents a replicable model for decentralised bioproduction in a developing country like Côte d’Ivoire.
Keywords: lactic acid; molasses valorisation; Limosilactobacillus fermentum; cost reduction; fermentation; optimisation; design of experiments lactic acid; molasses valorisation; Limosilactobacillus fermentum; cost reduction; fermentation; optimisation; design of experiments

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mabia, A.G.; Andrianisa, H.A.; Danielli, C.; Ouattara, L.Y.; Kouadio, N.E.; Kouassi, E.K.A.; Gardossi, L.; Yao, K.B. Exploring the Synthesis of Lactic Acid from Sugarcane Molasses Collected in Côte d’Ivoire Using Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 9338 in a Batch Fermentation Process. Bioengineering 2025, 12, 817. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12080817

AMA Style

Mabia AG, Andrianisa HA, Danielli C, Ouattara LY, Kouadio NE, Kouassi EKA, Gardossi L, Yao KB. Exploring the Synthesis of Lactic Acid from Sugarcane Molasses Collected in Côte d’Ivoire Using Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 9338 in a Batch Fermentation Process. Bioengineering. 2025; 12(8):817. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12080817

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mabia, Asengo Gerardin, Harinaivo Anderson Andrianisa, Chiara Danielli, Leygnima Yaya Ouattara, N’da Einstein Kouadio, Esaïe Kouadio Appiah Kouassi, Lucia Gardossi, and Kouassi Benjamin Yao. 2025. "Exploring the Synthesis of Lactic Acid from Sugarcane Molasses Collected in Côte d’Ivoire Using Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 9338 in a Batch Fermentation Process" Bioengineering 12, no. 8: 817. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12080817

APA Style

Mabia, A. G., Andrianisa, H. A., Danielli, C., Ouattara, L. Y., Kouadio, N. E., Kouassi, E. K. A., Gardossi, L., & Yao, K. B. (2025). Exploring the Synthesis of Lactic Acid from Sugarcane Molasses Collected in Côte d’Ivoire Using Limosilactobacillus fermentum ATCC 9338 in a Batch Fermentation Process. Bioengineering, 12(8), 817. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering12080817

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