Ferrous lactate

E number E585INS 585CAS 5905-52-2

Used as a colour retention agent.

Ferrous lactate is an iron fortificant and colour retention agent, used in olives and in fortified foods.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Ferrous lactate by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1311and 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

1 food category

highest permitted level 150 mg/kg

CXS 192-1995 Table One, INS 585, food category 04.2.2.3retrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by reacting an iron salt with fermentation-derived lactic acid.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
5905-52-2
InChIKey
DKKCQDROTDCQOR-UHFFFAOYSA-L
PubChem
CID 22197

Every name it appears under

31 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E585

INS number

  • 585

CAS registry number

  • 5905-52-2
  • 85993-25-5
  • 92542-68-2

As it appears in regulation

  • Ferrous lactate

Other names

  • (S)-Bis(lactato-O1,O2)iron
  • 2-hydroxypropanoate;iron(2+)
  • 2-hydroxypropanoic acid, iron(2+) salt
  • C6H10FeO6
  • DKKCQDROTDCQOR-UHFFFAOYSA-L
  • E 585
  • Ferro drops
  • Ferrous lactate
  • ferrous;2-hydroxypropanoate
  • HSDB 462
  • INS NO.585
  • INS-585
  • Iron dilactate
  • Iron(2+) 2-hydroxypropanoate, (2:1)
  • iron(2+) bis(2-hydroxypropanoate)
  • Iron(2+) lactate
  • Iron(2+) lactate, (2:1)
  • IRON(II) 2-HYDROXYPROPANOATE
  • Iron(II) lactate
  • Iron(II) lactate hydrate
  • IRON, BIS(2-(HYDROXY-.KAPPA.O)PROPANOATO-.KAPPA.O)-, (T-4)-
  • Lactic acid, iron(2+) salt (2:1)
  • LACTIC ACID, IRON(II) SALT (2:1)
  • Propanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, iron(2+) salt (2:1)

Systematic names

  • iron(2+) bis(2-hydroxypropanoate)

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/ferrous-lactate.json