Safety and application of propionic acid and its sodium and calcium salts

1) Security:

Propionic acid is an intermediate product of normal metabolism of the human body. It can be metabolized and utilized and is safe and non-toxic. After propionic acid enters the human or animal body, it can be converted into propionyl-CoA, D-methylmalonyl-CoA, L-methylmalonyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA in sequence.

Succinyl-CoA can not only enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle for complete oxidation and decomposition, but also enter the gluconeogenesis pathway to synthesize glucose and glycogen.

In the metabolic pathway of animals, bacteria in the rumen of some ruminants (such as cattle) can ferment sugar (such as cellulose) into propionic acid, which enters lipid metabolism and sugar metabolism through the above pathways. Therefore, it does not cause any harm to the health of ruminants. damage.

There are no restrictive regulations on sodium propionate ADI (FAO/WHO), and the oral LD50 of mice is 5.1g/kg body weight. There are no restrictive regulations on calcium propionate ADI (FAO/WHO), and the oral LD50 of mice is 3340mg/kg body weight.

Propionate is not affected by other ingredients in food and has the advantages of low corrosivity, low irritation, and suitable for long-term storage. In addition, since propionate does not have a fumigation effect, the requirements for the mixing uniformity of grain foods are relatively high.

2) Application of propionic acid and propionate:

According to "GB 2760 National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives", the use scope and maximum usage amount (based on propionic acid, g/kg) of propionic acid and its sodium salt and calcium salt as preservatives are: soy products, bread , pastries, vinegar, soy sauce 2.5, raw and wet noodle products (noodles, dumpling wrappers, chaos wrappers, siu mai wrappers) 0.25, raw grains 1.8. Generally, 3%-5% sodium propionate solution is used to soak bayberry. After soaking, it needs to be washed before it can be used for canned bayberry.

As a food preservative, calcium propionate has a smaller effective dose in inhibiting mold than sodium propionate. The advantage of calcium propionate is that it can supplement calcium in food when used in pastries and bread.

Calcium propionate is mainly used in bread, because sodium propionate increases the pH value of bread and delays the fermentation of dough; sodium propionate is often used in pastries, because synthetic leavening agents are used to make pastries fluffy, and calcium propionate can reduce chemical leavening. The role of loosening agents.

Adding 0.188% calcium propionate to a dough with a pH of 5.8 or 0.156% to a dough with a pH of 5.6 prevents the occurrence of "sticky thread disease" (caused by Bacillus subtilis) and avoids damage to yeasts Normal fermentation is affected. Adding 0.25% calcium propionate to bread can prolong mold-free growth for 2-4 days. Adding 0.15% calcium propionate to soy sauce can preserve it for 90 days without mold.