A newly isolated amylolytic lactic acid bacterium, Streptococcus equinus, was used for the production of L-lactic acid from jackfruit seed powder (JFSP) by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). After optimization of shake flask fermentation by a response surface box-behnken design, the maximum lactate titer was 109 g/L from 200 g/L jackfruit seed powder. Amberlite IRA67, a weak base resin, was used to recover pure lactic acid from fermented broth and subsequently used for the synthesis of polylactic acid by direct condensation polymerization method with a yield of 62%. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.