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.