Effects of Ca(OH) 2 , NH 4 OH, and NaOH as neutralizing agents for efficient recovery of lactic acid was investigated. Lactic acid was produced from broken rice in a simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process with Lactobacillus delbrueckii. Consumption of glucose (from broken rice) by the cells and the cell growth were the best with Ca(OH) 2 among the three neutralizing agents used. Maximum productivities of lactic acid reached with Ca(OH) 2 , NH 4 OH, and NaOH were 3.59gl −1 h −1 , 1.51g1 −1 h −1 , and 1.40gl −1 h −1 , respectively. Ca(OH) 2 reduced the lactate molarity of the fermentation broth, and thus resulted in the highest lactic acid productivity. Furthermore, it was apparently clear that divalent cation (Ca 2+ ) was more effective in neutralizing the cultures compared to monovalent (Na + and NH 3 + ) cations.