What is sodium lactate? Sodium lactate is an organic compound with the chemical formula C ∝ H ₅ NaO3. It appears as a colorless or almost colorless transparent syrup like liquid at room temperature and pressure, with a slight special odor.
From a biochemical perspective, sodium lactate, as an intermediate product of glucose metabolism in the body, plays a crucial role in human metabolism and participates in numerous physiological and biochemical reactions. Sodium lactate has good moisturizing properties and is often added as a moisturizer in the cosmetics industry. It can help the skin absorb and retain moisture, keeping the skin hydrated. Relevant studies have shown that its moisturizing effect is long-lasting and stable. In the food industry, sodium lactate is a commonly used acidity regulator that can adjust the acidity of food. For example, in meat processing, adding an appropriate amount of sodium lactate can effectively reduce the pH value of meat products, inhibit microbial growth, and extend product shelf life. Sodium lactate is a weak acid salt that undergoes hydrolysis reaction in aqueous solution. The degree of hydrolysis is affected by various factors such as temperature and concentration. According to the principle of chemical equilibrium, the hydrolysis can be controlled by adjusting these factors.
Medically, sodium lactate can be made into an injection solution as a nutrient required for cellular metabolism, providing energy to the body. Especially in the treatment of metabolic acidosis, it can play an important role in regulating the acid-base balance in the body. From the perspective of molecular structure, sodium lactate molecules are composed of lactate ions and sodium ions. Lactate ions have a certain hydrophilicity, which makes sodium lactate easily soluble in water and can be well dispersed and ionized in water. In the textile printing and dyeing industry, sodium lactate can be used as an auxiliary agent to help dyes better adhere to fabrics, improve dyeing effects, reduce color problems during the dyeing process, and enhance product quality. Research has found that sodium lactate can undergo complexation reactions with various metal ions under certain conditions, forming stable complexes. This characteristic has important application value in some chemical analysis and industrial production.

The production of sodium lactate usually adopts chemical synthesis or biological fermentation methods. The chemical synthesis method is mature but may have environmental pollution problems, while the biological fermentation method has the advantages of green environmental protection and high product purity, and is currently a hot research direction.