Food Additives

      Sodium bicarbonate, with the molecular formula NaHCO æ, is an inorganic compound. It is a white powder or fine crystal, odorless, salty, easily soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol (some say insoluble), and the aqueous solution is slightly alkaline. It is prone to decomposition when heated and slowly decomposes in humid air, producing carbon dioxide. It begins to decompose at around 50 ℃ and is completely decomposed when heated to 270 ℃. When exposed to acid, it strongly decomposes and produces carbon dioxide. Sodium bicarbonate is widely used in industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, food, light industry, textile, and people's daily lives, playing an important role in the national economy 。

     Food processing purposes
In food processing, sodium bicarbonate is the most widely used loosening agent used in the production of biscuits, bread, etc. However, after action, sodium carbonate will remain. Excessive use will cause the alkalinity of the food to be too high, resulting in a deterioration of flavor and a yellow brown color. It is a generator of carbon dioxide in soda beverages; It can be combined with alum to form alkaline fermentation powder, or with soda ash to form civil stone alkali; It can also be used as a butter preservative. It can be used as a color protectant for fruits and vegetables in vegetable processing. Adding about 0.1%~0.2% sodium bicarbonate when washing fruits and vegetables can stabilize the green color. When sodium bicarbonate is used as a fruit and vegetable processing agent, boiling and bleaching can increase the pH value of fruits and vegetables, improve the water holding capacity of proteins, promote the softening of food tissue cells, and dissolve astringent ingredients. In addition, it has a deodorizing effect on sheep milk, with a dosage of 0.001%~0.002%.