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E325Antioxidant · Emulsifier · Humectant · Thickener

Sodium lactate

What the research shows

Prototype

Not enough

published research on this page yet

1 health finding on this page so far · See the findings

A salt made from lactic acid.

It preserves food, controls acidity and adds bulk.

Written from Open Food Facts and English Wikipedia12

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • EU permitted

What research says

Animal and lab studies only

  • Open question

    Food poisoning bacteria growth5

    In lab tests, sodium lactate in cooked chicken kept Clostridium perfringens from growing at some warm temperatures.

Study type not stated

  • Open question

    Chromium in preserved foods3

    Sodium lactate in some preserved foods contained small amounts of chromium, though arsenic was not found.

How it’s made and used

  • Food poisoning bacteria4

    In lab studies, sodium lactate changed proteins in Listeria, a food poisoning germ, and helped stop its growth.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Regulatory status

Checked Sep 2026

Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating.

How we check

Products

The 6 most-scanned of 2,636 products on Open Food Facts that list sodium lactate.

  • Spring Onion & Cracked Black Pepper Alternative to Soft Cheese Cathedral City · 170 g 3 additives
  • HALLS halls. · 33,5 4 additives
  • CHICKEN SATAY SKEWERS SELECT & GO · 100 g 2 additives
  • vegetarian chicken pesto burgers Linda McCartney's · 227 g 6 additives
  • Skinless Beef Franks Nathan's Famous 5 additives
  • Soft Spread Plant Menu · 170 g 5 additives

References

  1. 1sodium lactate: ingredient taxonomy entry. Open Food Facts.
  2. 2Sodium lactate. Wikipedia. Accessed September 25, 2026.
  3. 3Carter KF, Carter GL. Evaluation of metal impurities in foods preserved with sodium lactate. J Environ Health. 2013;75(6):22-7.
  4. 4Mbandi E, Phinney BS, Whitten D, Shelef LA. Protein variations in Listeria monocytogenes exposed to sodium lactate, sodium diacetate, and their combination. J Food Prot. 2007;70(1):58-64. doi:10.4315/0362-028x-70.1.58
  5. 5Juneja VK. Delayed Clostridium perfringens growth from a spore inocula by sodium lactate in sous-vide chicken products. Food Microbiol. 2006;23(2):105-11. doi:10.1016/j.fm.2005.03.002