Phenyllactic acid( PLA) is a new type of biological preservative founded in recent years,which can effectively inhibit the growth of gram-negative,gram-positive bacteria and fungi. PLA of lactic acid bacteria( LAB) is generally recognized as the food-grade biological preservatives,and its biosynthesis core way is as follows: with phenylalanine as substrate and α-ketone amino as receptor,phenypyruvate( PPA) was produced through ammonia reaction and then reduced to PLA by dehydrogenase. The main metabolic products of PLA are dihydrodiol,1-bromo-2,3-phenylpropanes etc. In addition to the influences of temperature,p H and culture conditions,the constructive metabolism of PLA is mainly regulated by lactate dehydrogenase( LDH),aminotransferase( ATase) and tricarboxylic acid cycle( TCA) etc. This paper reviews the biosynthesis and catabolism pathways of LAB PLA and the regulation mechanisms related to these pathways.