What Does Lactic Acid Do？
Lactic acid is a common type of organic chemical, which is very often associated only with the production of yogurt. This association stems from its production during the fermentation process which transforms milk into yogurt. Similarly, lactic acid is used for its fermenting qualities in a wide range of products. However, this is not the only purpose it serves. Lactic acid uses span across industries. Diverse industries make products with lactic acid including medical, pharmaceuticals, textile, cosmetics, and more.
Types of Lactic Acid
Lactic acid can be naturally found or artificially manufactured to be utilized in different industries, It exists in two distinct forms including:
L-lactic acid: This is the most commonly used form of natural lactic acid which is usually derived from organic sources. In terms of production, L（+）-lactic acid is a by-product of the anaerobic metabolism process which happens in all living organisms including human beings. Apart from this, it is also produced during the process of fermentation which makes it suitable for flavor enhancement uses, pH regulation purposes, and preservation of products.
D-lactic acid: As opposed to L（+）-lactic acid, D（+）-lactic acid is not as commonly produced through natural forms and is more widely artificially produced. However, it is found in some quantities in the gastrointestinal tract and may be produced in limited quantities during the process of fermentation. In terms of usage, d-lactic acid is commonly used in a wide range of industries including pharmaceuticals and the production of bio-plastics.
Uses of Lactic Acid
What is lactic acid used for? its versatility helps the substance find application in diverse industries including the following:
In the Food Industry
Lactic acid plays a multifunctional role in the food industry, with wide-ranging and important applications:
pH Regulation and Preservation
Lactic acid is an organic acid that has been obtained from its natural origin and is very efficient in managing the pH of foods to be processed. Lactic acid brings about a decrease in pH and hence constrains the growth of bad bacteria and thus makes food last longer. This characteristic makes it an important additive in the processing of perishable foods such as meat, seafood and poultry. It is vital to know lactic acid use in the meat products. Lactic acid not only prevents the contamination of the product but also checks the growth of spoilage bacteria resulting in enhancing safety and shelf life.
Flavor Enhancement
Lactic acid has a weak sour taste which makes it useful in the flavouring of foods. In dairy products like yogurt and cheese, lactic acid is not only an autolysis but imparts a nice sourness to the product as well. Lactic acid, when used with condiments, sauces, and pickled products, enhances the overall taste and flavor of the product.
Texture Improvement
In baked goods, lactic acid can be applied to enhance texture of the final product to a very great degree. Considering an example of lactic acid, it is possible to add lactic acid to raw noodles to reduce moisture transfer to the surface; the effect will ensure that the product surface is only slightly wet and not sticky. Lactic acid can also be incorporated into the gluten proteins and this enhances the rheology or texture and processing characteristics of baked products.
Fermentation Aid
It is worth noting that lactic acid has a place in alcohol production. Lactic acid is useful in beer brewing because when combined in appropriate quantities, it helps to change the pH, stimulate the process of saccharification and yeast fermentation, and reduce brewing periods as well as enhance the taste and shelf life of beer. As with white spirits, sake and fruit wines, lactic acid is used for pH correction, inhibition of all kinds of bacteria and to intensify the rather sharp taste of alcohol.
Functional Additive
In confectionery production, lactic acid is used as a reducing agent for sugar decreasing the rate of saccharide transformation and increasing shelf life. Starch can also enhance the appearance of soft cadies and aid in the reduction of surface moisture and the addition of powdered lactic acid can also be of benefit in this respect. In other foods, they act as an acidulant, preservative and antioxidant and the most commonly used lactic acid group is the sodium and potassium lactates.
In conclusion, uses of lactic acid in the food industry extend to preservation, enhancement of the flavor, and an improvement to the texture. Because of this, it is considered to be an essential subassembly in food processing. Thus, optimum utilization of lactic acid can be used to enhance the quality, safety, and flavor profile of food rationally.
Daily Chemical Industry
Lactic acid has widespread applications in daily chemical products, mainly reflected in the following aspects:
Skincare Products
We will know about lactic acid in skincare. There are several lactic acid uses for skin. Lactic acid is also used in skin care products because lactic acid has functions in the skin. Like other alpha hydroxy acids, lactic acid aids in the exfoliation of the stratum corneum cells which helps in the improvement of the skin tone and texture. It also can moisturize, which makes the skin not lose its ability to retain water thus reducing the probability of forming wrinkles. Because of these characteristics, it is often included in most moisturizers, face masks, and hand creams, among others. Also, the best lactic acid exfoliator is top for our skin. Hence, it’s proven that lactic acid is good for the skin.
Oral Care Products
In oral care products there are various roles of the best lactic acid. It may conflict with oral Acidity and salivary pH and hence contribute towards orthodontic health. The weak acidic property of lactic acid also enables it to make soft plaque from the outer surface of teeth to ease off slightly thus acting as a cleaner of some sort.
Body Wash and Shampoo
In personal cleansing products with lactic acid, it is also used and plays an important role. It can be applied as a chemical reaction moderator to bring the product pH closer to the natural pH of the skin and hair. More specifically, lactic acid is used to a greater extent in hair care products, like lactic acid lotion, for personal use. In its natural form, lactic acid for hair makes the hair better by making combing easier on the hair. Lactic acid, in particular, is milder than other pH regulators for this reason they are capable of controlling the acidity of the products without causing inflammation to the scalp and hair shaft.
Different other personal care products include lactic acid body wash, lactic acid whitening products, etc.
To sum up, the perspective of the usage of lactic acid for hair in the daily chemical field does take full advantage of the mild peeling, moisturizing and regulating effect of the product to better meet the demand of the consumers, which for sure contributes to the safer personal care products. As a natural material and due to its applicability in a wide range of functions, it is often used in the production of daily chemical items.
Medical Field
In the medical field, the applications of lactic acid span a wide range from basic pharmaceutical raw materials to advanced medical materials:
Pharmaceutical Raw Materials
Another lactic acid use is in synthesizing other drugs, and for this purpose, high optical purity, and above 98% optically pure lactic acid is required. It can be used as an initial synthetic chiral for chiral drugs and a crucial aspect of the creation of a new drug. Chiral drugs usually have higher selectivity and fewer side effects, and they have received much attention in the modern new drug research and development.
Medical Materials
Poly lactic acid (PLA) which is a condensation polymer of lactic acid has found usage in many areas touching upon manufacturers of medical materials. It can be broken down into lactic acid within the human tissues and lactic acid which is one of the metabolic products of the human body as well can be broken down into carbon dioxide and water. This characteristic makes poly lactic acid have biocompatibility and biodegradability and therefore applicable as a choice of many medical materials.
Polylactic acid can be made into various medical materials for different purposes, including:
Biodegradable surgical sutures
Such sutures disintegrate by themselves after wound closure; hence patients do not have to undergo a second surgery to have them removed. Internal fixation devices for fractures: For example, bone nails and bone plates that are used in fracture treatment and then can be metabolized in the body tissue. Tissue repair materials are utilized in treatments covering soft tissue repair and tissue regeneration.
Besides, because of its good for forming and metabolic non-hazardousness, polylactic acid is used in a drug-sustained/controlled release system. These systems can provide a steady form of drug release, enhance desired therapeutic outcomes, lessening in the frequency of dosing, which eventually results in better cooperating compliance and quality living among the patients.
In conclusion, the many uses in the biochemistry and safety of lactic acid products prove the usefulness of its use in the medical field. From one of the most primitive active pharmaceutical ingredients to the so-called high-tech medical materials, lactic acid has been and will continue to play an essential role in forging modern medicine toward more safer and effective medical products.
Cleaning Agents
Lactic acid in its crude form is a good cleaner and descaler. In comparison with conventional inorganic descaling agents, cleaning products with lactic acid normally perform better. This has promoted the use of lactic acid in all the types of descaling products that are in the market.
In the microelectronics industry, high purity, low metal content lactic acid has met the stringent demands of the semiconductor industry for high-quality cleaners. Currently, lactic acid has the function of a clean solvent in the cleaning operation which is essential in the electronics industry and the photosensitive material industry.
Chemical Nickel Plating
Lactic acid plays multiple roles in the chemical nickel plating process:
- Complexing agent: Lactic acid has a specific value of the complexation constant for the nickel ions. Nickel plating solution of lactic acid-nickel ion contains more than 97 % nickel ions in a complex form.
- Stabilizer: Lactic acid exhibits strong stability in the plating solution, is capable of regulating the deposition rate and meanwhile ensuring the plating solution is stable to produce good uniform and dense coating.
- Inhibitor: lactic acid used to prevent the formation of nickel hypophosphite during the chemical nickel plating process.
- Buffer: Like an acid-base buffer, lactic acid may keep the plating tank pH optimal.
Coating and Paint Industry
In the coating and paint industry, there are multiple lactic acid uses:
pH regulator: In the adhesive systems of all kinds of water-borne coatings, including electrophoretic coatings, lactic acid can be adopted. Raw material: Lactic acid products find use in the manufacture of some of the coatings, paints, and resins among other industrial uses.
Feed Industry
With increasing restrictions on antibiotic use, the application of lactic acid powder in the feed industry is becoming increasingly important:
- Acidifier: Since it is a natural metabolic product of the animal body, lactic acid is a safe feed acidifier that does not result in residual detrimental substances in the animals.
- PH regulation: It is cheap and effective in reducing the pH of the diet, increasing the pepsin secretions in the stomach, and enhancing digestion.
- Improves microbial environment: Necessary for modulating the gut microbiome and hence plays a pivotal role in achieving healthy digestion systems.
- Promotes metabolism: Closely involved in the process of internal metabolism enhancing the ability to digest the nutrients.
- Improves taste: The taste of best lactic acid is rich and somewhat aromatic, which can obscure the divine smell of various synthetic preparations, vitamins, trace elements, etc.
Other Industrial lactic acid uses
- Leather industry: The ability to soften the leather and make it finer makes the process of using lactic acid to remove lime and calcium from leather increase the quality of leather.
- Textile industry: When used on fibers, the lactic acid results in easier dyeing of the fiber, an increase in luster, and an increased softness of the fibers.
- Solvent industry: Because of this characteristic solubility lactic acid has found its way to be an ideal solvent for certain special lactic acid uses.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be noted that through the uses of lactic acid in the industrial sector, we can see aspects of this compound – its versatility, as well as its setting friendliness. From the food industry to new materials of high technology manufacturers, from traditional industries to emerging industries, lactic acid offers reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for modern industry popularizing technology changes and environment-friendly development in various fields.
Are you looking for reliable sources of high-quality lactic acid and other chemicals? Mondstar, the major food additives supplier in China, is here to help you out. Please Contact Us for further inquiries or sample requests.
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