Screening of LAB-Compatible Fungi and the Effect of Corncob Substrate Concentration on D(-) Lactic Acid Production using the Multiple Parallel Fermentation (MPF) Approach: Skrining Kapang yang Kompatibel dengan BAL serta Pengaruh Konsentrasi Substrat Tongkol Jagung terhadap Produksi Asam Laktat D(-) melalui Pendekatan Multiple Parallel Fermentation (MPF)

Mufidah, Elya
Mifzal, Adib Maula
Veliska, Audrya Nasywa
Rahayu, Farida
Irawati, Maghfira Selia
Wibisono, Yusuf
Sugiarto, Yusron
Nurika, Irnia

Jurnal Keteknikan Pertanian Tropis dan Biosistem
Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025): August 2025

Biological production of D(-) lactic acid is being advanced as an eco-friendly alternative to petrochemical routes. This study optimizes D(-) lactic-acid production from corn cobs through Multiple-Parallel Fermentation (MPF), which combines a polysaccharide-degrading filamentous fungus with lactic-acid bacteria (LAB) in a single reactor. The novelty of the work lies in deploying a specific consortium of Aspergillus sp. and Leuconostoc mesenteroides for parallel fermentation of corn-cob biomass—a combination not previously reported. Three fungal isolates and three LAB strains were screened to identify the most compatible pairing. Fermentations were run at initial pH 7.0 and 39 °C with substrate concentrations of 3, 5 and 7% w/v. The 7% loading yielded the highest D(-) lactic-acid titer (14.01 % w/v), although differences among treatments were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). One-way ANOVA satisfied normality and homogeneity-of-variance assumptions, and linear regression indicated a moderate relationship between substrate concentration and lactic-acid yield (R² = 0.429). A D/L ratio exceeding 95:5 across all treatments confirmed selective D(-) isomer formation by L. mesenteroides. These results demonstrate the promise of MPF using local lignocellulosic waste as an efficient, sustainable route to D(-) lactic acid.