Lactic acid fermentation by cells of Lactobacillus rhamnosus immobilized in polyacrylamide gel

The process of lactic acid fermentation of lactose to lactic acid by Lactobacillus rhamnosus ATCC 7469 has been studied. The following processes have been explored: growth kinetics, as well as lactose utilization, production of lactic acid and further degradation of lactic acid. The immobilization experiments were conducted with microbial cells entrapped in polyacrylamide gels. Gels with different ratios of the monomer (acrylamide) and the cross-linking agent (N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide) have been tested. These were used in a repeat-batch process. The current processes inside and outside the gel particles were subjects of examination. The evolution of the activity of immobilized cells with repeated use showed that the particles served mainly as a donor of cells for the free culture. In all experiments a very high degree of conversion, 85-90% was observed. After several runs however, the particles were exhausted for microbial cells. A kinetic model of the process of lactic acid production was developed. This model allowed the evaluation of the effect of microbial growth and diffusion limitations inside the gel particles on the process rate and the separate contribution of the free and immobilized cells to the overall fermentation process upon multiple use.