Calcium carbonate is an inorganic compound with a wide range of sources and rich resources. It is a common substance on the earth. It exists in aragonite, calcite, chalk, limestone, marble, travertine and other rocks. It is also the main component of animal bones or shells. Widely used in industries, food additives, medicine, feed additives, construction materials, rubber, plastics, paper, ink, daily cosmetics, coatings, glass, asphalt, insulating materials, adhesives, sealants, military and national defense, etc. field.
In the food industry, calcium carbonate is mainly added to food in the form of food additives, as a food nutrition enhancer, improver, etc. The calcium carbonate used in food additives can be food-grade calcium carbonate produced by precipitation method, or it can be crushed Grades of calcium carbonate ground calcium carbonate made from limestone, calcite, and oyster shells.
1. Used as a food nutrition enhancer
Calcium carbonate can be used as a nutritional enhancer for food. The main ingredient of calcium supplement products that people often eat is calcium carbonate, and some of them directly use heavy calcium carbonate as calcium supplement.
Common calcium-containing foods such as: high-calcium milk, high-calcium biscuits, high-calcium noodles, calcium candy, etc., as well as nutritionally fortified wheat flour are also added with calcium carbonate as calcium supplements, and many of them use calcium carbonate as calcium supplements Limestone is crushed to a certain fineness to produce calcium carbonate.
2. Flour leavening agent and yeast nutrient regulator
Adding calcium carbonate to flour can not only play the role of calcium strengthening, but also whiten the flour and improve the appearance of the flour. When preparing the compound leavening agent, an appropriate amount of calcium carbonate can be added, so it is added to some flour products. An appropriate amount of calcium carbonate can play a whitening and bulking effect.
In addition, calcium carbonate can also be used as a hydrogen ion regulator, and can be used as a dough conditioner for yeast nutrients in the bread making process. Usually, it is used in flour with a theoretical calcium content of less than 0.25%, and a particle size of about 5 μm.
3. Used for deacidification of wine
When brewing wine, calcium carbonate (or potassium carbonate) can be used to remove part of the acid for fruit juice with too much acidity (above 1.5%). For every 100L of grape juice to remove 0.1% acid, 66g of calcium carbonate needs to be added. The acid can be removed after the fermentation is complete.
Its working principle is that the formation of calcium carbonate and tartaric acid is the precipitation of calcium tartrate and the bottom of the wine barrel, thereby separating tartaric acid from wine, so that the separation of acid and wine is easy to separate.
4. Gummy additives
Gum candy is gum base candy, also known as chewing gum or chewing gum, the English name is Chewing Gum. A good gum product is compounded by a variety of food additives such as gum base, sweetener, flavor, emulsifier, softener, and filler.
Calcium carbonate or talcum powder, which are fine powders used as fillers, can properly suppress the elasticity of the chewing gum, while also preventing the stickiness of the chewing gum itself.
Food additives play an important role in food processing, and play an important role in improving the color, aroma, and taste of food, adjusting the nutritional structure of food, improving food processing conditions, and extending the shelf life of food. With the continuous rapid development of my country’s economy in recent decades and the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, people pay more and more attention to food safety and hygiene issues. Good to eat healthy change. With the improvement of people’s requirements, various new foods are also born, and in order to meet the needs of consumers to improve the taste and color of food, various food additives are also born.