What are the disadvantages of lactic acid fermentation?

November 26, 2025 •

3 min read

Lactic acid fermentation is one of the oldest methods of food preservation, utilized by humans for over 13,000 years to produce items like yogurt and sauerkraut. However, this vital metabolic process is not without its drawbacks. Understanding the disadvantages of lactic acid fermentation is crucial for optimizing industrial processes and monitoring health effects.

Quick Summary

Lactic acid fermentation presents challenges in industrial food production, including contamination risks and inconsistent product quality. Physiologically, excessive buildup can contribute to a serious medical condition known as lactic acidosis, distinct from normal exercise-induced lactate. This process is also significantly less energy-efficient than aerobic respiration.

Key Points

Low Energy Efficiency: Lactic acid fermentation yields significantly less ATP per glucose molecule compared to aerobic respiration.
Product Inhibition: The accumulation of lactic acid lowers the pH, which can inhibit the growth of the very microorganisms producing it, limiting efficiency.
Quality Variability: Spontaneous or poorly controlled fermentation can result in inconsistent product quality, undesirable flavors, and potential spoilage.
Biogenic Amine Production: Fermented foods may contain biogenic amines, which can trigger adverse health reactions like headaches in sensitive individuals.
Lactic Acidosis Risk: While temporary lactate buildup is normal, excessive levels in the body can lead to a dangerous condition called lactic acidosis, often linked to underlying medical issues.
Industrial Costs: Large-scale production faces challenges with high feedstock costs and complex downstream purification to achieve high optical purity.

Lactic acid fermentation, a metabolic pathway that converts glucose into lactate, plays a crucial role in both biological energy production under anaerobic conditions and the creation of various fermented foods. While it offers numerous benefits, such as enhanced nutrient absorption and flavor development, several significant disadvantages and limitations exist across different applications.

Disadvantages in Food Production and Industry

Quality Control and Consistency Issues

In food production, where lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are used as starter cultures, achieving consistent results can be challenging. Natural variations in raw materials, such as differences in sugar content, can lead to unpredictable fermentation outcomes.

Product Impurities: Fermentation products are often impure and require further treatment and purification, which increases production costs and complexity.
Contamination Risk: Although LAB produce antimicrobial compounds, the fermentation environment can still be susceptible to contamination by undesirable microorganisms, including pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli, which can lead to foodborne illnesses if not strictly controlled.
Undesirable End Products: Heterolactic fermentation, in particular, can produce a mix of lactic acid, ethanol, and carbon dioxide, which might lead to undesirable flavors or textures in certain food products.
Biogenic Amines: Fermented foods naturally contain biogenic amines like histamine and tyramine, produced by bacteria breaking down amino acids. Individuals sensitive to these compounds may experience headaches, hives, or gastrointestinal issues.

Industrial Production Challenges

For industrial-scale lactic acid production, several economic and technical hurdles exist:

High Production Costs: The cost of feedstocks (even low-cost biomass requires pretreatment) and energy consumption for processes like sterilization and cooling can be high.
End-Product Inhibition: As lactic acid accumulates, it lowers the $\text{pH}$ of the medium, which can inhibit the growth and metabolic activity of the lactic acid bacteria themselves. This limits the final concentration of the product unless costly neutralization agents are added.
Substrate Inhibition: High concentrations of initial substrates (shugars) can also suppress bacterial growth due to osmotic stress.
Optical Purity: Lactic acid has two optical isomers (L-LA and D-LA). For applications like biodegradable plastics (PLA) or pharmaceuticals, high optical purity is required. Some fermentation processes yield a mixture (DL-LA), which is less valuable and requires additional purification steps.

Disadvantages in Biological Systems

Lower Energy Yield

Compared to aerobic respiration, lactic acid fermentation is a highly inefficient way to produce ATP. Glycolysis followed by fermentation yields a net of only two ATP molecules per glucose molecule, whereas complete aerobic respiration can yield up to approximately 32 ATP molecules.

Physiological Effects

While the idea that lactic acid build-up causes delayed muscle soreness (DOMS) is largely considered a myth (soreness is typically due to micro-tears), excessive accumulation of lactate in the bloodstream can lead to a serious medical condition.

Lactic Acidosis: This condition occurs when lactate production exceeds lactate clearance, leading to a drop in blood $\text{pH}$. Lactic acidosis is usually a complication of underlying health conditions (such as kidney or liver failure, heart failure, or sepsis) rather than just exercise, but severe exertion can contribute if the body cannot cope. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, and rapid breathing.

Comparison: Lactic Acid Fermentation vs. Aerobic Respiration

To highlight some of the disadvantages, consider a comparison between lactic acid fermentation and aerobic respiration.


Feature	Lactic Acid Fermentation (Anaerobic)	Aerobic Respiration (with Oxygen)
Oxygen Requirement	Not required (anaerobic)	Required (aerobic)
ATP Yield (per glucose)	Very low (Net 2 ATP)	High (Up to ~32 ATP)
End Products	Lactic acid (Lactate in solution)	Carbon dioxide and Water
Speed of ATP Production	Rapid (good for short, intense bursts)	Slower but sustainable
Product Inhibition	Yes, acid buildup inhibits process	No such inhibition by end products

Conclusion

While lactic acid fermentation is a valuable process in food technology and an essential short-term energy solution in biology, its disadvantages are notable. These include the potential for inconsistent product quality and contamination in food systems, significant economic and technical hurdles in industrial production such as end-product inhibition and the need for purification, and the risk of lactic acidosis in severe physiological conditions. These limitations highlight the necessity for careful control and optimization when utilizing lactic acid fermentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contrary to a common myth, lactic acid buildup is not considered the cause of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Lactic acid is typically cleared from the muscles within a few hours after exercise. Muscle soreness experienced a day or two later is usually due to microscopic muscle fiber damage and the body's repair response.

Lactic acidosis is a serious medical condition where excess lactic acid builds up in the bloodstream, causing the blood to become too acidic. This can impair organ function and be fatal if untreated, representing a significant disadvantage when the body cannot clear lactate effectively due to disease or extreme exertion.

Disadvantages in food preservation include the risk of contamination by undesirable microbes, which can lead to spoilage or foodborne illness. Also, natural fermentation can result in inconsistent product quality, flavor, and texture compared to controlled industrial processes.

Lactic acid fermentation is considered inefficient because it only produces a small amount of ATP (2 molecules) per glucose molecule, as it does not utilize the Krebs cycle or the electron transport chain. Aerobic respiration, conversely, can produce up to 32 molecules of ATP per glucose molecule.

Yes, consuming fermented foods can cause side effects in some people. The most common are temporary gas and bloating. Additionally, some individuals may be sensitive to biogenic amines (like histamine) produced during fermentation, which can cause headaches or digestive issues.

Industrial challenges include high feedstock costs, the need for complex purification to achieve high optical purity, and process inhibition caused by high substrate or product concentrations, which can slow down fermentation and increase operational costs.

Yes, especially in heterolactic fermentation, byproducts such as ethanol and carbon dioxide can be produced alongside lactic acid. In industrial settings, these may be considered unwanted impurities that reduce the yield and purity of the desired lactic acid product.