Lactic Acid

Lactic acid is found throughout nature—from fruits to molasses, although most people's experience with lactic acid is in sour milk. Lactic acid in milk is the product of the fermentation of lactose (milk sugar) by the bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaris and Lactobacillus acidi lacti. In the manufacture of yogurt, this reaction is carefully controlled to ensure the production of yogurt and not spoiled milk. The lactic acid in molasses is the product of the digestion of sugars by other species of bacteria.