Efficacy and mechanism of lactic acid production from food waste fermentation regulated by magnesium ions

LI Yue; ZHANG Wenjuan; DU Zonghai; LI Yuan; CHEN Yueji; GUO Yi; XU Xianbao

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202605019

Volume 44 Issue 5

May 2026

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Article Navigation > ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING > 2026 > 44(5): 185-193

LI Yue, ZHANG Wenjuan, DU Zonghai, LI Yuan, CHEN Yueji, GUO Yi, XU Xianbao. Efficacy and mechanism of lactic acid production from food waste fermentation regulated by magnesium ions[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(5): 185-193. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605019

Citation:

LI Yue, ZHANG Wenjuan, DU Zonghai, LI Yuan, CHEN Yueji, GUO Yi, XU Xianbao. Efficacy and mechanism of lactic acid production from food waste fermentation regulated by magnesium ions[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(5): 185-193. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605019

Citation:

LI Yue, ZHANG Wenjuan, DU Zonghai, LI Yuan, CHEN Yueji, GUO Yi, XU Xianbao. Efficacy and mechanism of lactic acid production from food waste fermentation regulated by magnesium ions[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(5): 185-193. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605019

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Efficacy and mechanism of lactic acid production from food waste fermentation regulated by magnesium ions

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202605019

1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China;
2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China

Received Date: 2025-06-30
Available Online: 2026-06-06

Abstract

Abstract

The utilization of food waste as a fermentation substrate can effectively reduce the substrate cost of lactic acid production industrialization， and the synergistic fermentation of leachate could promote the production of lactic acid. However， the effect of magnesium ions in leachate on lactic acid production during fermentation， on metabolic processes， and on key functional bacterial communities remain unclear and require further exploration. This article explored the effect of adding an appropriate amount of magnesium ions on lactic acid fermentation when food waste was used as the substrate. The results showed that the optimal dosage of magnesium ion concentration was 750 mg/L， and the lactate yield and L-lactic acid optical activity respectively reached （37.4±0.5） g COD/L and （96.3±0.9）%. Mechanistic studies revealed that the addition of magnesium ions could accelerate substrate dissolution， significantly enhance the activity of key hydrolytic enzymes （α-glucosidase， amylase， and protease） and L-lactic acid producing enzymes， and increase both the hydrolysis rate and the lactate production rate. Simultaneously， the relative activity of lactate-consuming enzymes decreases， slowing down the rate of lactate consumption. When the magnesium ion dosage was 750 mg/L， the relative abundance of Enterococcus and Streptococcus was 65.0%（2.2 times that of the Blank group） and 18.7% （37.8% of the Bank group）， respectively. But the total relative abundance reached 83.7%， which increased lactate production and L-lactic acid optical activity. Finally， metabolic pathway prediction and functional genes further revealed that the addition of magnesium ions can increase the relative abundance of carbohydrate metabolic pathways and genes encoding lactate dehydrogenase. This study can provide technical support for the resource utilization of food waste.
- food waste,
- fermentation,
- magnesium ion,
- lactic acid,
- metabolism

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References(31)

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