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E327AcidulantLow concern
Calcium Lactate
In plain words
The short version
A mild calcium salt — fortifier, firming agent, and the second ingredient in spherification reverse-set.
Why it's green
It's widely considered safe at the amounts used in food, so we mark it green. The Safety section below has the details.
Safety profile
ADI not specified — well-tolerated. Pleasant neutral taste at typical use levels. Excess calcium intake from supplements (not from food levels) is the only practical concern.
The detail
Produced by neutralizing lactic acid (E270) with calcium carbonate or hydroxide. Industrial lactic acid is mainly from bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates.
Used to fortify foods with calcium (more soluble and better-absorbed than calcium carbonate), to firm canned and pickled vegetables, in tofu coagulation, and as the calcium source in cheese standardization. In molecular gastronomy, central to reverse-spherification (calcium-rich liquid dropped into alginate bath).
White or cream-colored crystalline powder. Soluble in water; insoluble in ethanol. Mildly alkaline solution. Less salty-bitter than calcium chloride (E509).
Permitted widely at levels set by good manufacturing practice. In the EU it is in Group I (quantum satis); in baby foods it is allowed only for pH adjustment, L(+)-form only. In the US it is GRAS for use in food, except in infant foods and infant formulas.
Sources
- WHO JECFA database — Calcium lactate, INS 327 (evaluation 1974, 18th meeting) — World Health Organization / JECFA, 1974. No numerical ADI (ADI 'not limited')
- US eCFR — 21 CFR 184.1207 Calcium lactate (GRAS) — US FDA / Office of the Federal Register (eCFR), 2026. US GRAS status and the exclusion of infant foods/formulas
- European Commission food additives database — Calcium lactate, E 327 (Union list, Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 Annex II) — European Commission, DG SANTE, 2026. EU authorisation (Group I, quantum satis; baby-food restriction)
Checked against these sources on .
Educational information only. Not medical, dietary or veterinary advice. Spotted an error? Tell us.