Ammonium Lactate

Description

Ammonium lactate is a compound with formula NH₄(C₂H₄(OH)COO). It is the ammonium salt of lactic acid.
It has E number "E328" and is the active ingredient of the skin lotions Amlactin and Lac-Hydrin.

Uses

Ammonium lactate solution has been used in the ammonium lactate fermentation broth for the concentration of organic acid salts by conventional electrodialysis (EDC).

Uses

Antipruritic (topical).

Uses

When ammonium lactate is applied topically, it is found to thicken the viable epidermis while reducing the thickness of the stratum corneum layer. It is a neutralized version of lactic acid.

brand name

Lac-Hydrin (Westwood-Squibb).

General Description

Ammonium lactate is an ammonium salt of lactic acid. It is generally used as a feedstock for ethyl lactate and as a component of moisturizers.

Industrial uses

Ammonium lactate, which is produced in a fermentation process, is thermally and catalytically cracked to produce lactic acid, which upon addition of an alcohol generates the ester. The ammonia and water byproducts are separated through a selective membrane and recycled. This process, which uses carbohydrate feedstocks, has made the production of lactate esters economically competitive. In turn, due to the excellent solvent properties of ethyl lactate, it has become widely available as a bio-sourced and biodegradable cleaning fluid.It has also found industrial applications in speciality coatings and inks. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), an agricultural processing company who have been commercializing the production of ethyl lactate, have recently patented isoamyl lactate as a component in an environmentally friendly solvent and household cleaner.