Abstract: A process which permits the facile conversion of green bananas to a sugar syrup uses a sequence of steps involving grinding the bananas, heating the bananas, treating the bananas with an alpha amylase to convert the starch granules into lower molecular weight molecules (liquefaction), changing conditions and treating the low molecular weight starch molecules and other substances in the liquefied fluid with the enzymes, amyloglucosidase, pectinase, cellulase, macerase, etc., filtering the resultant fluid to remove the solids, and, if necessary, evaporating the sugar solution to a suitable concentration. Use of elevated pH in each of the enzymatic conversion steps was found to greatly increase the glucose yield.

Abstract: Lactobacillus delbrueckii sub-species bulgaricus ATCC-55163, a strain of Lactobacillus delbrueckii sub-species bulgaricus that can produce essentially stereoisometrically pure L-(+)-lactic acid, and a process for producing essentially stereoisometrically pure L-(+)-lactic acid using the strain are disclosed. A method for producing a mutant strain of Lactobacillus that produces essentially stereoisometrically pure lactic acid is also disclosed.