n :  a hygroscopic organic acid C₃H₆O₃ that is known in three optically isomeric forms  a  or  D-lactic acid   :  the dextrorotatory form present normally in blood and muscle tissue as a product of the metabolism of glucose and glycogen  b  or  L-lactic acid   :  the levorotatory form obtained by biological fermentation of sucrose  c  or  -lactic acid   :  the racemic form present in food products and made usu. by bacterial fermentation (as of whey or raw sugar) but also synthetically, and used chiefly in foods and beverages, in medicine, in tanning and dyeing, and in making esters for use as solvents and plasticizers .
 
 
 
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