Kinetics and modeling of lactic acid production by Lactobacillus plantarum

An unstructured mechanical model explains substrate utilization, bacterial growth and lactic acid generation by Lactobacillus plantarum in cucumber juice. Lactic acid formation depends on NaCl concentrations and an equation linking specific death rate of bacterial cells and NaCl levels is derived. Mathematical simulations estimate the effects of changes in proton concentration death rate and buffer capacity of cucumber juice on fermentation.