Lactic acid, an organic acid synthesized by various microorganisms, has many applications in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical industries. An attempt has been made to produce lactic acid by fermenting lactose present in whey by exploiting Pediococcus damnosus 107 in a batch fermentation process. We have optimized process parameters for lactic acid production by Pediococcus damnosus 107. Optimization of most effective factors were determined by One Variable At a Time (OVAT) analysis. Process parameters were employed for enhancing the yield of lactic acid i.e. carbon concentration, pH, inoculum size, incubation temperature and incubation period. Maximum lactic acid production was achieved with 1 g of carbon concentration at pH 6.0, with 10% inoculum at 35 ℃ after 24 h. Percent increment in lactic acid production after optimization was 26.48%. Maximum lactic acid production was estimated by P. damnosus107 i.e. 3.0 g/L. Purification of lactic acid was done by salt saturation method. After purification, percent recovery was 262.5%.
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