Improved Production of Homo-D-Lactic Acid via Xylose Fermentation by Introduction of Xylose Assimilation Genes and Redirection of the Phosphoketolase Pathway to the Pentose Phosphate Pathway in L-Lactate Dehydrogenase Gene-Deficient Lactobacillus plantarum

The production of optically pure D-lactic acid via xylose fermentation was achieved by using a Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 8826 strain whose L-lactate dehydrogenase gene was deficient and whose phosphoketolase genes were replaced with a heterologous transketolase gene. After 60 h of fermentation, 41.2 g/liter of D-lactic acid was produced from 50 g/liter of xylose.