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Lactic acid facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Lactic acid is a natural chemical found in many places, especially in sour foods. It's a type of acid that helps give things a tart taste. A scientist named Carl Wilhelm Scheele first found it in sour milk way back in 1780.

Today, lactic acid is often used as a food additive. It helps make foods taste sour or tangy. You might find it in things like yogurt, sourdough bread, or even some candies.

What is Lactic Acid?

Lactic acid is a chemical compound with the formula C3H6O3. It's part of a group of chemicals called carboxylic acids. This means it has a special structure that makes it acidic.

Lactic Acid in Food

Lactic acid is very common in fermented foods. Fermentation is a process where tiny living things like bacteria change sugars into other substances. For example, bacteria turn the sugar in milk into lactic acid, which makes milk turn into yogurt or cheese. This process also helps to preserve food and gives it a unique flavor.

  • Yogurt and Cheese: Lactic acid is what makes yogurt tangy and helps cheese get its texture.
  • Pickles: It's also found in pickled vegetables, giving them their sour taste.
  • Sourdough Bread: The unique flavor of sourdough bread comes from lactic acid produced by special bacteria.

Lactic Acid and Muscles

Many people think that lactic acid builds up in their muscles when they exercise and causes soreness. However, this isn't quite right!

When you exercise, especially very hard, your muscles produce something called lactate. Lactate is related to lactic acid, but it's not exactly the same. Your body actually uses lactate as a quick source of energy during intense workouts. It helps your muscles keep working even when they're low on oxygen.

So, while lactate is made in your muscles during exercise, it doesn't cause the burning feeling or soreness you might feel later. That feeling is usually due to other things, like tiny tears in your muscle fibers as they work hard.

Images for kids

  • Blood values sorted by mass and molar concentration

    Reference ranges for blood tests, comparing lactate content (shown in violet at center-right) to other substances in human blood

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Ácido láctico para niños

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