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EFFICACY OF FOOD GRADE LACTIC ACID PRODUCED THROUGH BACTERIAL FERMENTATION

ZULFIQAR ALI^1*, FAQIR MUHAMMAD ANJUM², SAEED AKHTAR³ TAHIR ZAHOOR² AND MUHAMMAD RIAZ³

Abstract: The efficacy studies for lactic acid were conducted using rats to observe the toxicity of food grade lactic acid, produced in laboratory through fermentation process. The Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the evaluation of food grade lactic acid and was given in the feed to five groups of rats (A-E) at the dose of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4%, respectively. The behavioral changes, feed intake, body weight and hepatocytic changes were recorded during the experiment for 28 days.  Incorporation of lactic acid in the diets at these concentrations did not manifest a significant (p<0.05) effect on behavior, feed intake and body weight in all the rats groups tested for lactic acid toxicity. Liver weight, relative liver weight, cell diameter and nucleus diameter remained unchanged (p<0.05) on ingestion of lactic acid suggesting that the consumption of lactic acid up to 4% is safe in the rats. However, these results are yet to be validated in the humans as far as the use of lactic acid produced through bacterial fermentation in the food is concerned.  

¹Department of Food, Agriculture and Chemical Technology, Karakoram International University, Gilgit, Pakistan

²National Institute of Food Science and Technology University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-Pakistan

³Department of Food and Horticultural Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan