L-Lysine Acetate
Compiled from published pharmacological and botanical literature. Not independently verified by Herbuno. Spotted an error or have a correction? Flag it below →
| Compound | L-Lysine acetate |
|---|---|
| Chemical class | Acetate salt of an essential basic (diamino) amino acid |
| CAS | 57282-49-2 (L-lysine acetate) · 56-87-1 (L-lysine free base) |
| Molecular weight | 206.24 g/mol (free base 146.19) |
| Free base equivalence | 70.9% L-lysine by weight · acetate ~29.1% |
| Key distinction | Acetate is metabolised to bicarbonate — base-generating, not acid-generating |
| Claim strength | High for the acid-base chemistry; lysine's own evidence is unchanged |
| Buy from Herbuno | L-Lysine Acetate / Base Powder · L-Lysine HCl Powder |
| Origin | Processed / Sourced from India |
| MOQ | R&D 100 g / 250 g (subject to stock) · Pilot batch 1–5 kg · Bulk 10 kg, 25 kg and above |
| Lead Time | Dispatch within 72 hrs from stock · fresh-batch production (typically 50 kg+): 10 working days |
| Documentation | CoA & MSDS standard with every lot |
Name origin: The acetate salt of L-lysine, formed with one equivalent of acetic acid, typically across the ε-amino group on the side chain. Lysine takes its name from the Greek lysis, loosening, after Drechsel's 1889 isolation from casein hydrolysate. The acetate is a minority commercial form against the hydrochloride, which dominates the global lysine trade.
Why the salt exists: The reason is acid-base, not handling. Free-base lysine is strongly alkaline and markedly hygroscopic, so some salt is needed for practical use, and the hydrochloride is the economical default. But chloride is metabolically an acid-equivalent: a large chloride load contributes to metabolic acidosis, which matters in parenteral nutrition where amino acid solutions are infused in volume. Acetate, by contrast, is metabolised through acetyl-CoA and generates bicarbonate, so it is base-producing. Lysine acetate is therefore the specified form in parenteral amino acid formulations designed to avoid an acidifying chloride load.
Research position: There is no clinical literature specific to L-lysine acetate as distinct from L-lysine. Once dissociated the lysine cation is identical whatever salt delivered it, and the acetate has no independent pharmacology beyond its acid-base behaviour. Lysine's own evidence — the recurrent herpes labialis trials, the cereal protein fortification case, the thinner claims around calcium absorption and anxiety — transfers unchanged.
Commercial source: L-lysine acetate is produced by neutralising fermentation-derived L-lysine, made with Corynebacterium glutamicum on a carbohydrate substrate, with acetic acid and crystallising. Because the global lysine market is dominated by feed-grade hydrochloride, the acetate is a smaller and more tightly specified article, typically produced for pharmaceutical and clinical nutrition use.
Evidence for L-Lysine Acetate Applications
The acid-base distinction is the salt's genuine justification and is not a marketing point. Chloride is metabolically an acid-equivalent, so a large chloride load promotes hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis; acetate is metabolised via acetyl-CoA into the tricarboxylic acid cycle with net bicarbonate generation, making it base-producing. In parenteral nutrition, where amino acid solutions are infused at volume and acid-base balance is actively managed, this is a clinically material difference, which is why lysine acetate rather than lysine hydrochloride is specified in many parenteral formulations. Claim strength: High.
The lysine fraction is 70.9% and is the lowest of the common lysine forms. L-lysine acetate is 206.24 g/mol against the free base's 146.19, so 1 gram delivers 709 milligrams of lysine. The hydrochloride delivers 800 milligrams and the free base 1,000. Matching a 1,000 milligram lysine claim therefore requires 1,410 milligrams of acetate against 1,250 milligrams of hydrochloride — a 13% larger fill weight, which matters for capsule sizing and for tablet weight in oral formats. Claim strength: High.
For oral supplementation the acetate's advantage largely disappears, which should be said plainly. The chloride load from a 1 to 3 gram oral lysine dose as the hydrochloride is a few hundred milligrams of chloride against a typical dietary intake measured in grams, so the acid-base argument that governs parenteral formulation does not scale down to an oral supplement. Unless the formulation is stacking several hydrochloride salts or is intended for someone whose chloride or acid load is being managed, the hydrochloride is the more economical and denser oral choice. Claim strength: High.
Lysine's own evidence transfers unchanged and should be presented at its actual strength. The strongest clinical thread is recurrent herpes labialis, where several controlled trials have reported reduced recurrence frequency or severity and others found no effect, on the mechanistic basis of lysine's antagonism of arginine, which the virus requires — suggestive rather than settled. The cereal protein fortification application is the strongest non-claim use, lysine being the first limiting amino acid in wheat, rice and maize proteins. Claims around calcium absorption and anxiety rest on thinner ground. Claim strength: Emerging to Moderate depending on the endpoint.
The declaration-basis discipline applies here as to the hydrochloride, with a different number. Feed formulation universally declares lysine on a free-base basis, human supplement labelling has no settled convention, and the acetate adds a third conversion factor to a category that already generates specification disputes over two. Write the purchase specification as a stated lysine quantity supplied as the acetate, and state the assay basis, since a 99% acetate assay refers to the salt and lysine content is that figure times 0.709. Claim strength: High.
One product-naming point requires attention in this catalogue. Material is sometimes offered as "lysine acetate/base", which is ambiguous: lysine acetate at 70.9% lysine and free-base lysine at 100% are materially different articles with a 41% difference in lysine delivered per gram, and the free base is markedly hygroscopic where the acetate is manageable. Confirm which is being quoted before ordering, and write the CAS number into the specification — 57282-49-2 for the acetate, 56-87-1 for the free base. Claim strength: High.
Sourcing L-lysine acetate from Herbuno. We supply the acetate and the hydrochloride.
Take the acetate where the chloride load genuinely matters — parenteral and clinical nutrition formulations where acid-base balance is managed, or oral formulas already stacking several hydrochlorides. For ordinary oral supplementation the hydrochloride is denser at 80% against 70.9% and more economical, and the acid-base argument does not scale down to a 1 to 3 gram oral dose. Confirm whether a quotation is for acetate or free base, since those differ by 41% in lysine per gram. All lots ship with CoA and MSDS; request a quotation for pilot or bulk volumes.
Dosage & Formulator Specification
Dose on lysine content: multiply acetate weight by 0.709, or divide the lysine target by 0.709. A 1,000 milligram lysine claim requires 1,410 milligrams of L-lysine acetate. Supplemental doses in the herpes literature run 1 to 3 grams of lysine daily, needing 1.41 to 4.23 grams of the acetate. Adult requirement is around 30 milligrams per kilogram daily, met by adequate protein. For cereal protein fortification, inclusion is calculated against the isolate's measured amino acid profile and converted at the same factor.
The three lysine forms should be selected on explicit criteria rather than price alone. Free base: 100% lysine, strongly alkaline, markedly hygroscopic, awkward to handle, narrow applications. Hydrochloride: 80% lysine, mildly hygroscopic, well-behaved, monograph coverage, 19.4% chloride, acid-generating, the economical default. Acetate: 70.9% lysine, manageable handling, no chloride, base-generating via bicarbonate, the specified form for parenteral and acid-base-sensitive applications. The acetate's case is clinical rather than general.
Handling sits between the other two forms. L-lysine acetate is freely soluble in water, giving near-neutral to mildly acidic solutions, and is moderately hygroscopic — more so than the hydrochloride, far less than the free base — so sealed packaging and humidity control during blending are advisable. It flows acceptably as a crystalline powder and is compatible with direct compression and capsule filling. Taste carries a faint vinegary note from the acetate alongside lysine's mild bitterness, which some flavour systems handle less easily than the hydrochloride's saline character.
The acetate's volatility is a formulation consideration the hydrochloride does not raise. Acetic acid is volatile, so under heat or extended open processing an acetate salt can develop a perceptible vinegar odour and lose a small amount of counter-ion, shifting the salt toward the free base with its alkalinity and hygroscopicity. For thermally processed formats and for long open-vessel operations this is worth validating rather than assuming. Lysine's Maillard reactivity also applies: the side-chain amine is the most reactive primary amine in the proteinogenic set, so heat plus reducing sugars means browning and lysine loss regardless of salt form.
For analytical control, specify identity and assay against the salt with the basis stated, optical rotation confirming L-configuration, and acetate content confirming stoichiometry — an under-acetylated lot is partially free base and will behave differently on pH and hygroscopicity. Standard coverage includes heavy metals, residual solvents, microbiological limits, loss on drying and sulphated ash, with residual host-cell protein and endotoxin and the fermentation organism and substrate named for certification. Residual acetic acid should be specified as a limit for the odour reason above.
Finally, write the CAS number into every specification for this material, because the naming is genuinely ambiguous in the market. Offerings described as "lysine acetate/base" conflate two articles that differ by 41% in lysine per gram and behave entirely differently in a dry blend: the acetate at CAS 57282-49-2 is manageable, while free-base lysine at CAS 56-87-1 is strongly alkaline and markedly hygroscopic. A purchase order naming only "lysine acetate/base" is not a specification. Confirm the article, the CAS number, the lysine assay basis and the acetate content before the first order rather than after a failed blend.
Frequently Asked Questions — L-Lysine Acetate
Why would I pay more for less lysine?
Acid-base, in the right application. Chloride is metabolically an acid-equivalent and a large load promotes hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis; acetate is metabolised via acetyl-CoA with net bicarbonate generation, so it is base-producing. In parenteral nutrition, where solutions are infused at volume and acid-base balance is managed, that is clinically material.
Does that apply to an oral supplement?
Largely not, and it should be said plainly. A 1 to 3 gram oral lysine dose as the hydrochloride contributes a few hundred milligrams of chloride against a dietary intake measured in grams. Unless you are stacking several hydrochlorides or formulating for someone whose acid load is managed, the hydrochloride is denser and more economical.
How much lysine does the acetate deliver?
70.9% — 206.24 g/mol against 146.19 free base. A 1,000 mg lysine claim needs 1,410 mg of acetate, against 1,250 mg of hydrochloride. That is the lowest lysine fraction of the three forms and a 13% larger fill weight than the hydrochloride, which matters for capsule sizing.
What does "lysine acetate/base" mean?
It is ambiguous, and that is a problem. Lysine acetate at 70.9% lysine, CAS 57282-49-2, and free-base lysine at 100%, CAS 56-87-1, differ by 41% in lysine per gram and behave entirely differently in a dry blend — the free base is strongly alkaline and markedly hygroscopic. Confirm the article and write the CAS number into the specification.
Any handling issue specific to the acetate?
Volatility. Acetic acid is volatile, so under heat or extended open processing an acetate salt can develop a vinegar odour and lose some counter-ion, shifting toward the free base with its alkalinity and hygroscopicity. Validate for thermally processed formats and long open-vessel operations. Specify residual acetic acid as a limit.
Which lysine form should I default to?
The hydrochloride, for most applications — 80% lysine, well-behaved, monograph coverage, economical. The acetate where chloride must be avoided for clinical acid-base reasons. The free base only where lysine density per unit is binding and humidity is tightly controlled, since it is awkward to handle.