The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
An aspect of the present invention relates to a method for the preparation of a highly concentrated liquid lactic acid composition and a composition obtainable by said method.
Lactic acid as well as its salts and esters have long been used as food additive and in various chemical and pharmaceutical applications. More recently, lactic acid has been used in the making of biodegradable polymers both as a replacement for present plastic materials as well as various new uses where biodegradability is needed or desired such as for medical implants and slow release drugs. Accordingly there is an ever-increasing demand for improved and economically viable lactic acid production processes.
Lactic acid is commonly marketed as a dilute or concentrated aqueous solution, whereby concentrated lactic acid solutions generally have a lactic acid concentration of about 90% (w/w). The marketing of lactic acid compositions having even higher concentrations is still desirable, e.g. to decrease packaging and transport costs and to improve ease of use in all kinds of technical and food applications. However, higher concentrations are not feasible because crystallisation of lactic acid in such highly concentrated compositions easily occurs at an ambient temperature, which provides problems with handling the lactic acid composition.
It is desirable to provide a highly concentrated liquid lactic acid composition that does not crystallise at an ambient temperature.