Lactic Acid Analysis (D+L) in Tomato
D-lactic Acid and Production
Analyzing the D-lactic acid in tomato is a specific need of companies that sell tomato pulp or that use it as an ingredient for other food products. The method generally used for the analysis has to be done in a chemical laboratory using a turbidity sensitive spectrophotometer, necessitating an extremely elaborate sample treatment.
The ability to carry out multiple analyses directly in the production plant and to have the results immediately available would be beneficial for these companies. Performing D-lactic acid analysis directly at the production line without the need for staff trained in chemical analysis would save time and allow decisions to be made rapidly during processing of raw materials and finished products.
At the request of a large food company the R&D laboratory of CDR, the manufacturer of the FoodLab, applied the FoodLab method to this parameter. The FoodLab already had the capability to analyse lactic acid in tomatoes.
The Analysis
The laboratory started to work on some company’s samples: tomato, tomato paste (double and triple concentrated) and tomato sauce. After a first analytical phase a reagent was created, the “DL” reagent, able to determine through enzymatic reaction both of the enantiomers of lactic acid. A correlation curve perfectly in line with the reference standards was produced.
The test with the FoodLab system determines the L-lactic acid and D-lactic acid values as the sum of the two values and as distinguished values of both L-lactic and D-lactic acids. The new analysis only requires the use of micro quantities of undiluted tomato and a simple sample filtration, even if the turbidity is high. A simple solution compared to the reference analysis method.
Reference Method Compliance
The new FoodLab lactic acid (D+L) analysis is reference method compliant. The enzymatic method generally performed in a chemical laboratory requires the use of a spectrophotometer that is very sensitive to the turbidity of the samples. This is why the sample treatment is long and complex and requires the use of large quantities of tomato pulp. With the FoodLab analysis system all of that can be avoided without losing accuracy and reliability of the results. The FoodLab system can be set-up in a small bench space in only 5 minutes and can perform 14 tests in around 15 minutes.
08/8/2025