Food additive databaseacidulant, pH adjusterChecked 2026-10-02
Lactic Acid 乳酸
Designated additivePermitted in the EU (E270)
- Purpose
- acidulant, pH adjuster
- On the label
- “酸味料” (acidulant), “pH調整剤” (pH adjuster), “膨張剤” (leavening agent), “乳酸” (lactic acid), “乳酸（Na，Ca）” (lactic acid (Na, Ca))
- Name in the List of Designated Additives
- 乳酸 (No. 297)
In Japan
- Used to add sourness and to adjust pH. It falls within the group names for acidulants, pH adjusters and leavening agents, and when used for each of these purposes it can be written under the group name.
- When written by substance name, it is “乳酸” (lactic acid). When used together with sodium lactate or calcium lactate, they can be written together, as in “乳酸（Na，Ca）” (lactic acid (Na, Ca)). There are no standards for use.
Japan's standards for use
There are no standards for use that limit which foods or how much (the general standards for all additives still apply).
This is a summary of the standards for use. See the source list for the exact conditions.
In the EU
- It is on the EU list of food additives (Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II) as E270.
When it is labeled under a shared name
Lactic Acid may be declared on the label in the same way as “酸味料”. See Acidulant (acidity regulator) for details.
Sources
- List of Designated Additives — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- Standards for use and storage of each additive — Japan Food Chemical Research Foundation (Japanese)
- EU food additive database (Japanese translation) — MAFF (Japanese)
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives — EUR-Lex
- 消費者庁「食品表示基準について」別添 添加物関係（簡略名・用途名併記・一括名・栄養強化の範囲・ばら売りの表示） (Japanese)
Checked 2026-10-02. Rules and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.
This page lists facts stated in laws and in evaluations by public bodies; it is not a safety verdict. Additives used in Japan are approved by the government, which sets the foods and amounts they can be used in. The ADI is a guide to the amount that is considered safe to take every day over a lifetime.