The role of sodium lactate in food: ① Acidity regulator: Sodium lactate can regulate the acidity of food and help maintain a specific acidic and alkaline environment. In some fermented foods, such as yogurt, adding an appropriate amount of sodium lactate can precisely control the acidity of the fermentation system, create suitable conditions for the growth of beneficial microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria, and promote the smooth fermentation process of yogurt, giving yogurt a suitable acidity and unique flavor and taste. ② Preservative: Sodium lactate has certain preservative properties and can inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. In the production of meat products, such as sausages, adding sodium lactate can prevent the growth of bacteria, mold and other microorganisms during storage and sales, extend the shelf life of sausages, ensure the quality and safety of sausages, and reduce the risk of spoilage caused by microbial contamination. ③ Moisturizing agent: It can absorb moisture from the air and maintain the moisture content in food. In baked goods, such as bread, sodium lactate can prevent the bread from drying out and becoming hard during storage, maintaining its softness and freshness, allowing consumers to taste the soft texture of the bread for a period of time after purchase. ④ Flavor enhancer: Sodium lactate itself has a mild flavor and can interact with other ingredients in food to enhance and enrich the overall flavor of the food. In some seasonings, such as soy sauce, adding sodium lactate can fine tune the flavor of soy sauce, making it more mellow and balanced, enhancing the flavor quality of the product, and meeting consumers' demand for deliciousness. ⑤ Quality improver: in flour products, such as Mantou, sodium lactate can improve the rheological properties of the dough, enhance the toughness and ductility of the dough, make the steamed Mantou larger, more delicate and even, more white and bright in appearance, better in taste, and improve the overall quality of Mantou. ⑥ Emulsifier assistance: In some food systems that require emulsification, such as salad dressing, sodium lactate can assist emulsifiers to better function, helping oil and water mix more evenly, preventing oil and water phase separation, maintaining the stable emulsion structure of salad dressing, and ensuring uniform texture of the product during storage and use.

⑦ Nutritional fortifier: Sodium lactate can serve as a nutritional component, providing the human body with a certain amount of energy. In some functional foods, such as sports drinks, adding sodium lactate can not only regulate the acidity and alkalinity of the drink, but also to some extent supplement energy for people who have consumed energy after exercise, which helps with body recovery.
⑧ Color Preservatives: In some fruit and vegetable products, such as apple juice, sodium lactate can adjust the acidity and alkalinity of the system, inhibit enzymatic browning reactions in fruits and vegetables, thereby maintaining the clarity and good color of apple juice, preventing it from changing color or becoming cloudy during storage, and improving the appearance quality and commercial value of the product.
⑨ Improving texture: In dairy products such as cheese, sodium lactate helps to adjust the texture of cheese, making it more delicate and smooth. By affecting the moisture distribution and protein structure inside cheese, sodium lactate can give cheese better plasticity and extensibility during cutting and consumption, enhancing the consumer experience.
⑩ Adjusting the fermentation process: In the production of brewed foods such as beer, sodium lactate can fine tune the fermentation process. It can affect the metabolic activity of yeast, regulate fermentation speed and degree, help control the generation of flavor compounds in beer, and give beer a unique and stable flavor and quality.
⑪ Stabilizing protein structure: In some protein rich foods, such as bean curd jelly served with sauce, sodium lactate can stabilize the protein structure, prevent protein condensation, precipitation and other phenomena during heating, storage and other processes, maintain the fine and even texture of bean curd jelly served with sauce and good taste, and make the quality of bean curd jelly served with sauce more stable and reliable.
⑫ Synergistic effect with other additives: In compound seasonings, sodium lactate can work synergistically with other additives such as flavor nucleotides and spices. It can enhance the effectiveness of other additives, optimize the overall performance of seasonings, make the taste of seasonings more rich and harmonious, and enhance the competitiveness of products in the market.