Potassium Lactate
Potassium Lactate is the potassium salt of lactic acid with the formula KC3H5O3. It is most commonly sold as a clear, slightly viscous 60 percent aqueous solution with a faint, mildly saline taste.
The compound (CAS 996-31-6, molar mass 128.17 g/mol) is the sodium-free analog of sodium lactate and is the standard antimicrobial humectant for clean-label shelf-life extension of ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood.
We source bulk Potassium Lactate from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are in Henan and Shandong. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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- Packaging
- 250 kg plastic drum or 1,000 kg IBC tote
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Chiral Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear to slightly yellow liquid (60% solution) |
| Assay (as potassium lactate) | 58.0-62.0% |
| pH | 6.0-8.5 |
| Chloride | ≤ 0.02% |
| Sulfate | ≤ 0.02% |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 3 mg/kg |
| Lactic acid content, w/% | 95.0 of label value -105.0 |
| L-lactic acid to total lactic acid content, w/% | ≥ 99.5 |
| Residue on ignition, w/% | ≤ 0.05 |
| Sulphate (as SO4), w/% | ≤ 0.001 |
| Iron salts (as Fe), w/% | ≤ 0.0005 |
| Cyanide, mg/kg | ≤ 1.0 |
| Lead (Pb), mg/kg | ≤ 2.0 |
| Chroma, APHA | ≤ 15 |
| Heating color (180 ℃ 2hs), APHA | ≤ 15 |
| Methanol, w/% | ≤ 0.20 |
| Calcium salt, mg/kg | ≤ 1 |
| Density (20 ℃), g/ml | 1.200-1.220 |
Common Markets Grades
Potassium Lactate is produced almost exclusively as a solution rather than as a crystalline solid because of its high deliquescence.
Food grade is a 60 percent w/w aqueous solution at minimum 60.0 to 62.5 percent assay, matching FCC and E326 specifications. It ships in 25 kg jerry cans, 200 kg drums, and 1000 kg IBCs to processed-meat and ready-meal manufacturers.
A 78 to 80 percent w/w concentrate is produced to reduce freight cost and to feed continuous in-line blending systems. This concentrate must be warmed above 30 degrees Celsius before it can be handled.
USP and Ph. Eur. grades come as 50 percent aqueous solutions with tight limits on heavy metals, methanol, sulphate, and microbiological load, for IV fluid manufacture and parenteral nutrition concentrate.
Buffered blends of potassium lactate with potassium diacetate, sodium acetate, or vinegar serve as one-shot meat-preservation systems matched to specific product applications.
Applications
- Shelf-life extension and Listeria control in ready-to-eat deli meats, hot dogs, and sausages
- Sodium-free alternative to sodium lactate in low-sodium meat and poultry formulations
- Humectant in fresh poultry, fresh red meat, and prepared fish for water retention and texture
- Cured meat colour stabilisation and reduction of warmed-over flavour
- Antimicrobial component of clean-label preservative systems with vinegar and cultured dextrose
- IV ringer's lactate and balanced electrolyte solutions where sodium load must be reduced
- pH buffer and freezing-point depressant in some confectionery and chewing-gum formulations
- Moisturizing humectant in shampoos, conditioners, and skin lotions
- Pet-food preservation in semi-moist and chub-pack formats
- Salt replacement ingredient in reduced-sodium soup, sauce, and dressing formulations
- Liquid sweetener and acidity buffer in fortified beverages
Brands Using Potassium Lactate
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Potassium Lactate on the ingredient label.
- Hormel FoodsHormel Extra Lean Ham (97% Fat Free) ↗Hormel Extra Lean Ham SmartLabel ingredient panel lists potassium lactate as part of the cure/preservation blend (with water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite). KL added as antilisterial / shelf-life extender.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Hormel FoodsHormel CURE 81 Bone-In Spiral Sliced Ham (Classic) ↗Hormel CURE 81 spiral sliced ham SmartLabel panel lists potassium lactate (with sodium lactate / sodium diacetate) as part of the preservation system.Label verified 2026-05-24
- Kraft Heinz (Oscar Mayer)Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Lower Sodium Oven Roasted Turkey Breast ↗Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Lower Sodium Oven Roasted Turkey Breast panel: 'Turkey Breast, Water, Modified Food Starch, Contains Less Than 2% Of: Sodium Lactate, Salt, Sugar, Potassium Lactate, Sodium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Flavor, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Ascorbate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Nitrite, Caramel Color.'Label verified 2026-05-24
- Hormel Foods (Jennie-O)Jennie-O Turkey Bacon ↗Jennie-O Turkey Bacon SmartLabel ingredient panel lists potassium lactate at less than 2% as part of the antimicrobial / shelf-life blend.Label verified 2026-05-24
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Potassium Lactate
Top Potassium Lactate manufacturers in China.
- Henan Honghui Biotechnology Co., Ltd.9 ingredients in the directory
Henan Xinghan Biotechnology Co., Ltd.5 ingredients in the directory
Qingdao Baotai Pure Food Technology Co., Ltd.16 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Potassium Lactate
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Potassium Lactate out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Potassium Lactate together with other ingredients such as Sodium Acetate, Calcium Citrate and Sodium Lactate into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Potassium Lactate is broadly authorised as a food additive and pharmaceutical excipient.
In the European Union it is approved as E326 under quantum satis principles as an acidity regulator and antioxidant synergist. The substance is also approved as a potassium source for food supplements under Directive 2002/46/EC.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration affirms it as GRAS under 21 CFR 184.1639 for use as a flavour enhancer, flavouring agent, humectant, and pH control agent. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service permits use in standardised meat and poultry products as an antimicrobial, typically at up to 2.0 to 4.8 percent by weight of finished product depending on category.
JECFA has assigned an ADI not specified to lactic acid and its potassium, sodium, and calcium salts.
Pharmacopoeial monographs for the injection grade appear in the USP, Ph. Eur., and JP. Halal and Kosher certifications are standard.
Manufacturing Process
Potassium Lactate is produced by neutralisation of lactic acid with a potassium base.
The lactic acid feedstock comes from anaerobic submerged fermentation of glucose or sucrose by homofermentative lactic acid bacteria, typically Lactobacillus delbrueckii, Lactobacillus casei, or engineered Bacillus coagulans. Most large-scale plants use corn dextrose or cane sugar as substrate, with calcium hydroxide or calcium carbonate continuously added to neutralise the broth and avoid product inhibition.
The crude calcium lactate broth is filtered, acidified with sulphuric acid to release lactic acid (with calcium sulphate precipitated as gypsum by-product), purified by ion exchange and activated carbon, and concentrated by evaporation. Because the fermentation gives a near-racemic or L-dominant mix depending on the organism, this conventional route gives the racemic or mostly-L potassium lactate solution that is sold commercially.
The purified lactic acid is then neutralised with food-grade potassium hydroxide to a stoichiometric end point and adjusted to the target 60 percent w/w concentration. Pharmaceutical grade is post-treated by polishing filtration, dilution to 50 percent, and aseptic packaging.
