Sodium lactate is the sodium

Sodium

Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...

 salt of lactic acid

Lactic acid

Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...

 produced by fermentation of a sugar source, such as corn

Corn

Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...

 or beets, and then neutralizing the resulting lactic acid to create a compound having the formula NaC₃H₅O₃. As a food additive

Food additive

Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste and appearance.Some additives have been used for centuries; for example, preserving food by pickling , salting, as with bacon, preserving sweets or using sulfur dioxide as in some wines...

, sodium lactate has the E number

E number

E numbers are number codes for food additives that have been assessed for use within the European Union . They are commonly found on food labels throughout the European Union. Safety assessment and approval are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority...

 E325 and naturally is a liquid product, but also is available in powder form. As early as 1836, sodium lactate was recognized as a salt of a weak acid rather than being a base, and it was then known that the lactate had to be metabolized in the liver

Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...

 before the sodium could have any titrating activity

Acid-base titration

An acid-base titration is the determination of the concentration of an acid or base by exactly neutralizing the acid/base with an acid or base of known concentration. This allows for quantitative analysis of the concentration of an unknown acid or base solution...

.

Usage

Sodium lactate has a mild saline taste and is commonly used in meat and poultry products to extend shelf life and increase food safety as it has a broad antimicrobial

Antimicrobial

An anti-microbial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, or protozoans. Antimicrobial drugs either kill microbes or prevent the growth of microbes...

 action, and is effective at inhibiting most spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. It may be used in shampoo

Shampoo

Shampoo is a hair care product used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair...

 products and other similar items such as liquid soaps as it is an effective moisturiser.

Sodium lactate commonly is used to treat arrhythmias caused by overdosing of class I antiarrythmics, as well as pressor sympathomimetics which can cause hypotension

Hypotension

In physiology and medicine, hypotension is abnormally low blood pressure, especially in the arteries of the systemic circulation. It is best understood as a physiologic state, rather than a disease. It is often associated with shock, though not necessarily indicative of it. Hypotension is the...

.

Regarding milk

Sodium lactate need not be restricted by someone avoiding milk or those with a milk allergy. In general, lactates such as sodium, calcium

Calcium lactate

Calcium lactate is a white crystalline salt made by the action of lactic acid on calcium carbonate. It is used in foods and given medicinally. Its E number is E327.Calcium lactate is often found in aged cheeses...

, and potassium

Potassium lactate

Potassium lactate is a compound with formula KC3H5O3, or H3C-CHOH-COOK. It is the potassium salt of lactic acid. It is produced by neutralizing lactic acid which is fermented from a sugar source. It has E number "E326"...

 lactate are salts derived from the neutralization of lactic acid and most commercially used lactic acids are fermented from dairy-free products such as cornstarch

Cornstarch

Corn starch, cornstarch, cornflour or maize starch is the starch of the corn grain obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel.-History:...

, sugar

Sugar

Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...

, or tapioca

Tapioca

Tapioca is a starch extracted Manihot esculenta. This species, native to the Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and most of the West Indies, is now cultivated worldwide and has many names, including cassava, manioc, aipim,...

. However some lactic acid is fermented from dairy products such as whey

Whey

Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...

 and lactose

Lactose

Lactose is a disaccharide sugar that is found most notably in milk and is formed from galactose and glucose. Lactose makes up around 2~8% of milk , although the amount varies among species and individuals. It is extracted from sweet or sour whey. The name comes from or , the Latin word for milk,...

. Whey is made of up 6.5% solids of which 4.8% is solid lactose. Waste whey typically is used to produce lactic acid when the whey itself is produced as waste during the manufacture of certain dairy products. As a result, such dairy-type lactic acid generally goes back into dairy products, such as ice cream

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

 and cream cheese

Cream cheese

Cream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting, white cheese with a high fat content. Traditionally, it is made from unskimmed milk enriched with additional cream....

, rather than into non-dairy products. Moreover, although the lactic-acid starter culture to ferment corn or beets may contain milk, sodium lactate does not contain milk protein and need not be restricted by someone avoiding milk or those with a milk allergy.

Pharmacy

For pharmacy purpose, 60% solution is used according to US Pharmacopoeia, which has pH
7 +/- 0.5, specific gravity 1.31-1.34 g/ml, and is colourless, odourless, slightly viscous
and slightly salty tasting and is stable with indefinite shelf life.