Prepared Foods - October 2008 - (Page 73)

ingredient challenges Phosphoric acid is a strong, inorganic acid often used in colas and other dark-colored, carbonated sodas. This acid is one of the strongest food acids on the same weight basis and same pH as other food-grade acids. Its strength and neutral flavor make it a desirable choice for low-pH foods and beverages; however, this corrosive acid has regulatory and safety issues associated with it. Another essential element to consider when choosing a buffer is the pH range of the final food or beverage. For example, the buffer combination of sodium acetate and acetic acid has an effective buffering range of pH 3.65.6. The effective buffering range of sodium citrate and citric acid is lower, at a pH between 2.1-4.7. Effective buffering ranges for the three anions of orthophosphates Buffering It Up The primary goal of a buffer is to control variations in pH, preventing batch-to-batch inconsistencies in a food or beverage. A buffer is defined as a weak acid and its conjugate salt, or a weak base and its conjugate salt. Although a buffer can be either weakly acidic or weakly basic, most food buffers (like most foods and beverages), are acidic. In general, it is best to formulate a buffer system with a weak acid and one of its own salts (for example, combining citric acid and sodium citrate), than combining different acids and acid salts. In a buffered system, anionic salts of acids react with dissociated hydrogen ions in a food or beverage to form the ionized version of the acid. By reacting and sequestering excess hydrogen ions in the system, a buffered solution will maintain a relatively consistent concentration of dissociated hydrogen ions. Since changes in pH are the direct result of changes in the concentration of free hydrogen ions, buffered solutions are quite effective at maintaining a constant pH. Buffer Choices Sodium and potassium are the most common salt forms of food-grade buffers. During formulation, it is important to consider the contribution of salts from buffers in the overall formula, as high levels of cations can impart undesirable tastes. In tart foods and beverages, citrates are preferred over phosphates, as citrates create a more rounded, smoother sour taste. High levels of phosphates may also create a soapy aftertaste in buffered products. Other common food buffers include acetates (salts of acetic acid) and gluconates (salts of gluconic acid). See Food Master-INGREDIENTS, p. 20 PFX10084Brie.indd 1 www.PreparedFoods.com ● October 2008 8/29/08 73 9:15:12 A http://www.briess.com http://www.briess.com http://www.briess.com http://www.PreparedFoods.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Prepared Foods - October 2008

Prepared Foods - October 2008 Contents Hitting the Shelves Winning Way—Spirit of Innovation Award Winners—Foodservice and Retail MarketWatch Novel Ingredients for Sports Nutrition Products NutraNews The Flavors of Cooking On the National Menu A Matter of Balancing Taste Solving Problems with Dairy Ingredients Colorings: Will I Be Blue? Coloring with Confidence: Inclusions R&D Applications Seminar: Answers for Dairy and Confectionery Applications R&D Applications: Naturally Vibrant Colors R&D Applications: Healthy Foods with Flavor Abstracts

Prepared Foods - October 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.