Metabolic impact of 2-methyl mandelic acid on lactic acid formation by Lactobacillus casei NCIM-2732

The present study investigates the influence of 2-methyl mandelic acid, an aromatic - hydroxy acid derivative, on the bioproduction of lactic acid by Lactobacillus casei NCIM-2732. The organism was cultivated under controlled fermentation conditions in the presence of graded concentrations of 2-methyl mandelic acid to evaluate its physiological and metabolic responses. Key parameters such as biomass formation, sugar utilization, lactic acid yield, and process efficiency were monitored to assess the compound’s modulatory effects. Exposure to 2-methyl mandelic acid produced measurable changes in fermentation behavior, indicating dose-dependent alterations in microbial growth and lactic acid biosynthesis. Lower concentrations exhibited mild stimulatory effects on metabolic activity, whereas higher concentrations showed inhibitory influence, suggesting that the compound interacts with cellular regulatory pathways associated with carbohydrate metabolism and stress adaptation. Overall, the study provides insights into how substituted mandelic acid analogues affect lactic acid - producing bacteria, offering potential implications for optimizing biotechnological fermentation systems and understanding microbial responses to aromatic - hydroxy acids. It has been found that the compound 2-MMA at molar concentration 4.0 ×10-5M enhances the yield of lactic acid by Lactobacillus casei NCIM2732 to an extent of 7.523% higher in comparison to control when molasses solution of 20%(w/v) is allowed to ferment at pH 6.0 temperature 340C and incubation period of 6 days along with some other rich ingredients required by the LABs.