Abstract:The present study investigated the effect of lactic acid on the pickling rate and quality of salted eggs.The eggs were pickled by maceration using saturated salt solutions with different lactic acid concentrations，and the water and salt content of egg whites and yolks，as well as the oil yield of egg yolks and the viscosity of egg whites were measured and analyzed during the pickling period.The results showed that when the eggs were pickled in the saturated salt solution with the lactic acid concentration of 0.5% for 18 d，good pickling results were achieved，specifically，the salt content of egg whites and egg yolks of 3.2% and 0.94%，oil yield of 59.77%，and suitable color and taste of egg whites and yolks after cooking.The addition of lactic acid to the pickling solution promoted salt penetration，and the salt content of egg whites and yolks increased（P＜0.05）with the increase in lactic acid concentration.The increase in lactic acid concentration also increased the viscosity of egg whites（P＜0.05）in the late pickling period（18 d-26 d），but this hindered the salt penetration，indicating that appropriate lactic acid concentration could promote the salt penetration.Compared with the results in the control group，the addition of lactic acid increased the oil yield of salted eggs（P＜0.05），and after 7 d of pickling，the oil yield was much higher than that required in the market（16%），which greatly improved the consumption of salted eggs.However，the addition of lactic acid did not significantly affect the texture，color，and water content of salted eggs.