Food Grade Calcium Hydroxide

The Importance, Benefits, and Applications of Food-Grade Calcium Hydroxide (UNICARB FCH5000)

Food-grade calcium hydroxide, specifically the UNICARB FCH5000, is a highly versatile ingredient in the food industry. With its high purity, superfine particle size (1-2 microns), and absence of harmful contaminants such as lead, heavy metals, arsenic, and bacteria, this compound meets or exceeds the stringent specifications of the Codex Food Chemistry Edition 6th. Below is an exploration of why this ingredient is important, its benefits, and how it can be applied in various industries.

Why Is Food-Grade Calcium Hydroxide Important?

1. Safety and Purity Standards
   Food-grade calcium hydroxide ensures consumer safety by adhering to strict purity standards. Its formulation excludes harmful substances like heavy metals and arsenic, making it suitable for direct use in food products. This compliance with international food safety regulations, such as those from the FDA and Codex Alimentarius, underscores its importance in modern food manufacturing.
2. Versatility Across Industries
   Its applications span multiple sectors, including food preservation, pH regulation, texture improvement, and even agriculture. This makes it an indispensable additive for improving product quality while ensuring safety.
3. Nutritional Enhancement
   Calcium hydroxide plays a critical role in fortifying foods with calcium. This is particularly valuable in addressing calcium deficiencies in populations worldwide. For example, its use in nixtamalization (processing corn) not only enhances calcium content but also improves digestibility.
4. Sustainability
   The production of calcium hydroxide is environmentally friendly when done using modern dry processes. This method ensures high output with minimal impurities while supporting sustainable practices in food production7.

Benefits of Food-Grade Calcium Hydroxide

1. Enhanced Texture and Consistency
   • In baked goods like bread, cakes, and biscuits, calcium hydroxide improves dough elasticity and texture.
   • It stabilizes proteins in dairy products by adjusting their pH levels to optimize solubility and dispersibility.
2. Natural Preservation
   Acting as a natural preservative, it extends the shelf life of processed foods by stabilizing acidity levels and preventing spoilage16. For example:
   • It maintains crispness in pickled vegetables.
   • It prevents softening in canned fruits.
3. Improved Flavor Profiles
   By neutralizing excess acidity in food products, calcium hydroxide contributes to balanced flavors in items like soft drinks and baked goods.
4. Calcium Fortification
   As a source of dietary calcium, it enriches beverages like orange juice and plant-based alternatives such as fortified dairy products or meat substitutes26.
5. Economic Efficiency
   Its cost-effectiveness makes it a preferred choice for bulk food manufacturing without compromising quality or safety standards6.
6. Clean Label Ingredient
   With increasing consumer demand for clean-label ingredients, calcium hydroxide offers a natural solution that aligns with organic and allergen-free certifications6.

Applications of Food-Grade Calcium Hydroxide

In Baking and Flour-Based Products

• Replacing baking soda: Calcium hydroxide can substitute baking soda to enhance crispness and stabilize dough acidity in products made from tapioca flour, cornstarch, or rice flour1.
• Improving coarse grain flours: It enhances the palatability of noodles and reduces breakage rates during cooking.

Nixtamalization

• Used to process corn for tortillas or chips by softening kernels and increasing their nutritional value through calcium enrichment.

Beverages

• As a pH stabilizer, it is used in soft drinks to balance acidity while enriching them with calcium nutrition.
• It also acts as a curing agent for alcoholic beverages like beer.

Pickling

• Maintains the firmness of pickled vegetables by neutralizing acidity during processing.

Dairy Products

• Enhances protein solubility in milk powders and infant formulas by optimizing pH levels away from their isoelectric point.
• Improves texture and stability in cheese production.

Canned Foods

• Prevents softening of fruits during canning processes while maintaining their structural integrity.

Konjac Products

• Essential for producing konjac gel foods by acting as both a pH regulator and coagulating agent during processing.

Sugar Refining

• Removes impurities from sugarcane juice during the liming process to produce high-quality refined sugar.

How to Apply Food-Grade Calcium Hydroxide

Food Stabilizer to Enhance Your Beverage Product Quality

Applying food-grade calcium hydroxide requires careful consideration of dosage to ensure optimal results without compromising safety:

1. Dosage Guidelines
   Typically mixed at 0.5–1% of the total weight of dough or other base materials depending on the application (e.g., baking or nixtamalization)1. For beverages or dairy products, precise measurements are necessary to maintain pH balance without altering taste.
2. Mixing Techniques
   • In baking: Mix directly into dry ingredients before combining with wet components.
   • In nixtamalization: Dissolve in water before soaking corn kernels.
3. Quality Assurance
   To ensure consistency and compliance with safety standards:
   • Use high-purity grades like UNICARB FCH5000.
   • Employ AI-powered ingredient tracking systems for accurate formulation adjustments and regulatory compliance.
4. Storage Considerations
   Store in a cool, dry place to maintain its fine particle size and prevent contamination.

Food-grade calcium hydroxide offers unparalleled benefits across various industries due to its versatility, safety standards, and nutritional value. Whether you are looking to improve product quality or explore innovative applications in food processing:

Please contact us at +62 81287 348 590 for more information or to place an order!